31 TDY
by ARtheBard
Summary: JJ and Morgan head to Afghanistan to help fight the war on terrorism. Emily and the team must continue on as best they can without them. But will JJ face more danger from insurgents...or from Mack Brewster?
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to story #31 in my AU series. :o) I'd like to first thank Darxe and the other anonymous readers who nominated me as best new artist in the Criminal Minds Authors Chit Chat forum. I am so touched you all have enjoyed these stories as much as I have enjoyed writing them.**

**Now, this story is (again) sort of different. It touches on a real but as yet untouched part of life for FBI agents. Some have been sent overseas to help fight on the front of the war on terrorism. I hope I do justice showing the true dangers that they face alongside our service members in Afghanistan. They all have my upmost respect, admiration and thanks for the job they do.**

**For those that are unfamiliar with the term, "TDY" is the acronym for Temporary Duty. Enjoy!**

**-AR**

* * *

Mack gives JJ a predatory grin that Morgan doesn't like. JJ looks back up at the woman's face.

"What are you doing here?"

"Ziva found out she's pregnant. So, since I know Pashtu, Dari and Egyptian, here I am. Like Emily, I am very good with tongues." She winks at JJ, who fights the urge to throw-up. "We'll be working _very_closely together."

JJ stiffens. "You're right. Working, Brewster. That's all. Just. _Working_."

Mack grins. "We'll see."

Before JJ can respond, Hotch and Andrade enter the room. Hotch pulls up short as he sees Brewster standing there.

"Agent Brewster?" he questions.

She smiles at him. "Good to see you again, Chief. I'm filling in for Ziva. She's pregnant so she can't head out into a war zone."

"I…see," he says uncomfortably. "After this meeting, you and I will need to have a chat."

She nods. "If you wish, Chief."

"I wish," he confirms.

For the next 2 hours, the four agents and 2 chiefs work up game plans for the way things will be run in Afghanistan. They agree that the NCIS agents will do the main interrogations with the FBI agents in contact via earbuds to let them know the changes in expressions and other tells that can confirm or refute statements.

When they finish, Hotch heads out of the room with Brewster following him. Though he leaves via the hallway room door, Emily sees him and Brewster. Her eyes get wide and her mouth drops open. She glares at her old nemesis, who can only smile. Emily turns towards the round table room and sees JJ standing in the doorway. Emily storms towards her.

"No. No. No. No. No. NO!" Emily says as she shuts the door.

"Yes, Em, she's the one going. The other agent got pregnant." Emily starts to pace, her face bright red. JJ reaches out to her. "Em, your blood pressure…"

"IS THROUGH THE FUCKING ROOF!" Emily screams.

JJ grabs her. "HEY! STOP! Emily, calm your ass down! You're hurting Rocky!"

Emily stops pacing as if JJ had smacked her. "Right…Rocky…but Jen…"

JJ guides Emily into a chair. "I know her game; I know her fucking obsession with besting you. It won't even be something I'm worried about." She frames Emily's face with her hands. "And you shouldn't be worried about it, either. I love _you_, Emily Prentiss. And you are 100 times the woman she is. She never stood a chance with me before and she sure as hell doesn't stand a chance now." She grins. "And if she doesn't take a hint, I'll shoot her in the foot to get her sent back States side."

Emily stares into JJ's eyes a minute then grins. "You really would, wouldn't you?"

"In a fucking heartbeat," JJ assures her wife.

Emily pulls JJ down into her lap…as much as Rocky will allow. "I'm sorry, Jen. Just…I am more than a little stressed about this whole thing. Seeing her here…knowing what that meant…it sort of…" her voice trails off.

"Sent you out of your mind?" JJ finishes for her. Emily nods. "Yeah, I noticed." She moves her fingers to Emily's throat. The woman's pulse is still racing. "Em, we need to check your blood pressure. You're still beet red and your pulse is racing."

Emily nods. "Yeah…okay."

JJ walks out to her desk and gets the blood pressure kit. Not to her surprise, Emily is in the red zone.

"Baby, you need to go home. This is way beyond just taking a break."

Emily stares at the read out and reluctantly agrees. JJ pulls out her cell and calls Hotch.

"Hotch, Emily's blood pressure is through the roof." She pauses as she listens. "Exactly. I'm going to run her home. Be back in about an hour." She listens. "Right. Thanks, Hotch." She hangs up and looks at her wife. "Hotch said he's explaining the way things are going to work to Brewster and for you to not worry about anything."

Emily grunts. "Did he tell you _how_I not worry about anything?"

JJ shakes her head. "Nope. I have a bad feeling that's something you're going to have to figure out yourself, sweetheart."

"Right. Well, let's get out of here before I see Brewster and do something to make sure she doesn't go with you."

JJ grins. "Okay. Come on, baby."

* * *

Hotch stares at Mack Brewster over his desk.

"Agent Jareau is taking Agent Prentiss home right now. Seems seeing you drove her blood pressure into the stratosphere."

Mack shrugs. "Look, Chief Hotchner, I can't help that Emily hates me. I had thought after what happened in Norfolk she could put the past behind us."

"Right. I heard your suggestive comment to Agent Jareau. In case it has escaped your notice, you're going into a hot zone. You will both need to be worried about potential danger from outside sources, not from each other. I will warn you right now: if I even get a hint that you are doing something to put her on edge, I'll get your ass yanked back to the States and will do everything in my power to see you never work for NCIS again."

She leans forward, her eyes narrowing with anger. "I don't take kindly to threats, Chief Hotchner."

He doesn't even blink. "It's not a threat, Agent Brewster."

The two stare each other down. For the first time in many years…Mack loses to a man. She sits back in her seat.

"I'm going over there to stop terrorists and protect our country." She stands, straightening her suit jacket. "Don't blame me if Agent Jareau's mind is on a brunette instead of on the job. I assure you, it won't be me she's thinking about."

Brewster turns and storms out of the office. She is furious. As far as she was concerned, Agent Jareau is fair game…unless a better game is to be had.


	2. Chapter 2

Francesca is very worried when she sees how red Emily's face is. She sets about making her special tea as JJ escorts Emily upstairs to the bedroom. Once she is in bed with her feet up, JJ strokes a hand down her wife's cheek.

"Emily, please, baby, stop worrying about Mack. I know there is nothing I can say that will make you not worry about me but don't let her get into your head, too," JJ pleads.

Emily sighs. "Jen, I hate feeling like…like you need me to protect you. I swear I do. But I just want to…to throttle her or injure her or something to make her not be the one with you. At the same time…shit…I know her grasp of the languages and nuances over there will be invaluable to you." Emily takes a deep breath to sort her thoughts. "Jennifer, you know I trust you, right?"

JJ smiles and nods. "Of course, Em. I'd be upset if it was you going with her because of her predatory ways."

"Good." Emily lets out the breath she'd been holding. "She spent a few years over there as a kid, like I did. She really will be an asset to this mission. But, Jen, if she even brushes your ass by accident shoot her in the damn foot."

JJ stares at her wife a minute then sees the twinkle in her eyes. She starts to chuckle.

"You're a twisted woman, Agent Prentiss."

Emily smiles. "But you love me anyway, Agent Jareau."

"Yes, yes, I do."

The two share a deep, passionate kiss, reminding themselves that no bad seed from Emily's past can come between them. Hell, they survived Ian Doyle. Mack Brewster was nothing compared to him. As the kiss ends, Francesca walks in with Emily's tea.

"Here you go, cara."

Emily smiles. "Thank you, Francesca."

The older woman rubs JJ's shoulder. "I will take care of her, Jennifer. I promise."

JJ nods, tears in her eyes. "I know." She takes Francesca's hand. "Knowing you'll be here with her and Henry is a real comfort to me. I truly don't know how we managed without you and I know I couldn't be heading over there without you here. I love you, Francesca."

Francesca pulls her into a hug and kisses her head. "I love you, too, cara. Come now, we will let Emily rest. Henry and I will check on her when he gets up from his nap."

JJ nods. She leans over and kisses Emily once more. "I love you, Emily." She leans down and kisses baby bump. "I love you, too, Rocky. Let Mama get some rest, okay?"

Emily smiles. "We love you, too, baby. I'll rest. I promise."

They share another kiss and JJ reluctantly heads back to the office. If she didn't have more things to go over with Morgan nothing would have gotten her back to Quantico. But she owed it to him and to the team to go into this TDY assignment with as much preparation as possible.

* * *

"Emily? Emily, cara," Francesca whispers as she gently shakes the sleeping woman.

Emily's eyes blink open. "Hi. What's wrong?"

"There is someone here from NCIS to speak with you. She said it's important."

Emily groans. "_I'm going to kill her_," she thinks to herself, knowing who it must be. "Fine. Tell her I'll be down in a minute. And, Francesca, where's Henry? I don't want him near her."

Francesca smiles. "He is in his crib. Needs to be changed."

"Good. Keep him up here until she's gone. Hopefully that will be quick."

She gets up and straightens out her clothes. Taking a quick look at the family portrait on the wall to steady herself, she then heads downstairs to find Mack in the living room.

"What the hell are you doing here, Mack?" Emily demands.

Mack turns and smiles. "Maybe I just wanted to congratulate my old college buddy on her upcoming baby. Funny, in Norfolk when Jennifer mentioned you two had a son and another child coming I assumed _she_was pregnant."

"Well, you know what they say when you assume. It makes an ass of u and me," Emily cracks dryly. "Now, I don't for a second believe you are here to congratulate me so get to the point of your visit. I promise you: after you leave you won't be allowed past the gates no matter what credentials you flash."

Mack grins, glad that Emily had figured out how she had made it past the security gates. Without being offered, Mack takes a seat. Emily remains standing.

"I have a proposition for you."

Emily rolls her eyes. "The answer is no."

Mack grins. "Hear me out. I know you are worried about me making a pass at your wife while we are overseas. That sort of stress will be bad for you and the baby, right?"

"Yes. So just leave her the fuck alone and we'll be fine," Emily states.

Mack nods. "Okay."

Emily raises an eyebrow. "Okay? Just like that?" she says doubtfully.

Mack grins. "You know me, Emily. I never do something without getting something in return."

Emily sighs. "Get to the fucking point, Mack."

Mack stands and approaches the other brunette. "I will leave Jennifer alone, won't even flirt with her innocently. In return…I get you for a weekend."

Emily's eyes widen. "Ex-ex_CUSE_ me?"

"Not now. A few months from now. You know, after you've had the baby and gone back to your pre-baby weight. I get you for a weekend." She steps into Emily's space, her eyes getting smoky with desire…and power. "You'll be my little pet, doing what I want, how I want, when I want. I always wondered what it would be like to spank you. I even—"

Her words are cut off as Emily punches her in the eye. As Mack hits the ground, Emily stands over her.

"You have 2 minutes to get your ass out of my house. And I swear to you, Mackenzie Cook Brewster, if you even think about crossing a line with Jennifer you will find out just how dangerous I can be," Emily warns her with a homicidal calm in her voice.

Mack stares up at the woman in front of her. She is stunned…and scared. Gone is the Emily Prentiss she competed against in college. Gone is the woman who was angry with her in Virginia Beach. Mack has no idea she is staring into the murderous gaze of Lauren Reynolds, a woman with no moral objection to killing to protect her family.

"One and a half minutes," Emily states coldly.

Mack scrambles to her feet. She hurries to the door, glancing back once before leaving. From the window, Emily watches the woman pull out of the driveway. She moves to the phone and calls the front gates.

"Yes, Agent Prentiss," the security guard answers.

"The woman from NCIS that is leaving? She is not allowed access to my house or this community again without a warrant."

He doesn't even question why. "Yes, Agent Prentiss. I'll make note of that."

"Thank you."

Emily hangs up and moves to the couch. She sits down, her head down as she tries to recalm her blood pressure. Just as she feels herself evening out she hears a happy voice.

"MAMA!"

She sits up as Henry runs to her and climbs up beside her. She pulls him into a hug.

"How you doing, Champ?"

"Love Mama!" He kisses her cheek.

She smiles, his innocent love the perfect blood pressure medication. "I love you, too, Champ. Want to go play with your race track?"

He smiles and nods happily. She grins and sets him on the ground, getting up to follow him into the play room. In the hallway, Francesca stops her.

"Is she gone?"

"Yes. And she is never to come into this house again."

Francesca nods. "Understood. She is…not a good person. I see that."

Emily grins. "You have _no_ idea how right you are."


	3. Chapter 3

That afternoon, Gerald Prentiss arrives. He will be accompanying Declan to Germany to visit Tom. Declan, whose last day of school was that day, is beyond excited about seeing his father. Gerald smiles at him as Emily introduces them.

"Dad, this is Declan Colter. Dec, this is my father Gerald Prentiss."

Declan extends his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. Thank you so much for flying me to Germany to see my dad."

Gerald smiles at the polite boy. "Good to meet you, too, young man. Please, call me Gerald. I've heard a lot of good things about you and I look forward to visiting with you on our trip."

"Thank you, sir. I've heard a lot of good things about you, too."

Gerald chuckles. "Then you've obviously been speaking to Jennifer not Emily."

The trio chuckles. Declan had heard about the strained relationship Emily and Gerald had shared. It was, in fact, Emily who had told him the good things he had heard about Gerald. Gerald pats Declan on the shoulder.

"Think you can help me get a few things out of my car?" He looks at Emily. "I have some new body armour inserts for Jennifer and Derek. They are the best in the world but not yet on the open market."

"But they've been tested, right? I mean, they are—" Emily starts.

He stops her with a hand on her arm. "Sweetheart, if I didn't believe them to be superior to what is on the market I wouldn't have bought them for her and Derek. My granddaughter needs to make sure her Mommy is safe."

Emily smiles, her stomach tripping at the thought of JJ being in danger. "Right. Of course. Thanks, Dad."

When JJ gets home she gives Gerald a hug. He leads her into the living room to show her the new protective gear he has for her. She stares at it for a minute, then drops down onto the couch. He moves to her, concerned.

"Are you okay?"

She is shaking slightly. "It just…it just is suddenly so…so real. Shit." She buries her face in her hands. "Oh, Gerald, what if something—"

"STOP! Don't even go there, Jennifer. You are smart, you'll be well protected, well armed, and most of the time you'll be in a green zone so you'll be safe. Just concentrate on that."

She slowly nods. "Yeah. I know. I just…God, Gerald, if her blood pressure issues weren't so bad maybe it wouldn't be so hard."

He takes her hands and stares into her eyes. "She will be okay. Rocky will be okay. And you, Jennifer, will be okay. There is no other option to consider."

JJ stares at him a moment. His piercing dark brown eyes are fierce. She smiles. "I see where Emily gets her intimidating stare."

He smiles, his eyes softening. "You should see her mother's. Makes mine look like Henry's pout."

JJ laughs, her emotions settling a bit. "Thank you, Gerald."

He pulls her into a hug. "I love you, Jennifer. And I swear, if you need to get out of there, say the word. We'll get you out."

"I know. Thank you."

* * *

That night, before bed, JJ tries on her BDU's with the new protective inserts in them to see how it would all feel. She is staring at herself in the mirror and can't help but think she looks like a little girl playing dress-up. As Emily walks into the bedroom, she stops short.

"Whoa…" Emily mumbles.

JJ turns and looks at her nervously. "So, uh, I guess for the next 9 weeks this is what I'll be looking like. What do you think?"

Emily swallows. "I think…if I wasn't so scared of where you were going…I'd think you were pretty damn sexy. You look good in fatigues."

JJ chuckles. "You're biased. I look like a kid playing dress-up."

Emily walks over and takes her in her arms. "No. You look like a warrior, a hero, a patriot. I am so proud of you, Jennifer. Very, very proud."

JJ tears up. "Yeah? Really?"

"Really." Emily sighs. "You could have…could have let my parents make the calls I and they wanted to make. You didn't. You live the oath you took when you got your badge. I am very, very proud of you and damn honored to be your wife."

Emily leans down and kisses her wife. Soon fear and love crash together to ignite into insatiable desire. Emily starts to undo the flack jacket JJ wears. As JJ tries to help, Emily stops her.

"No. Let me, Jen."

JJ just nods. Emily slowly undresses her wife, taking time to lavish kisses on each bit of skin she exposes. By the time she is done both women are panting. As JJ starts to undress her wife, Emily stops her. She sits JJ down on the bed.

"I need this, Jen. I need this first," she says hungrily.

JJ moans as Emily kneels before her and brings her mouth to the damp blonde curls. Emily spreads her wife's legs with her shoulders, flattening her tongue to draw it over the bundle of nerves pulsing tantalizingly. JJ's fingers tangle into Emily's hair, keeping her in place…not that there was a chance Emily was moving.

JJ falls back on the bed, which opens her legs even more. Emily's tongue dives into her wife's center as JJ arches her hips at the touch. When inner walls start to pulse, Emily replaces her tongue with two fingers, her mouth sucking in the throbbing clit.

"OH! Yesssss….Emmmm…." JJ moans.

Emily thrusts faster, sucks harder. She adds a third finger as JJ's hips buck higher. Emily raises her eyes and stares at her wife. JJ's hard nipples point towards the ceiling, her breasts flushed with the desire. The blonde's head is thrown back, her throat working as she moans. She is gorgeous!

As if sensing the scrutiny, JJ raises her head, her eyes meeting Emily's. She pants as she feels the fourth finger enter her.

"Oh, Em…more…all of you…please…make me all yours," she begs.

Emily feels her own desire soaking her underwear as she works JJ with four fingers, stretching her, caressing her, getting her ready. Finally she works her entire hand in. JJ bears down.

"OH! FUCK YES! Oh, EM!"

As Emily starts to piston her arm, driving JJ harder and faster, her teeth nip the throbbing clit before her.

"YESSSSSS!"

JJ comes, her hands tangled in Emily's hair, lest Emily even consider stopping. She doesn't. She sucks and pumps more, driving JJ up and into another orgasm. JJ's hand pushes against Emily's head. Though the brunette would rather drive her up and over again, she obeys the wordless request and ceases her movements.

She sits up and stares at her wife a moment. When JJ finally catches her breath, she looks up and nods. Her third orgasm rocks her as Emily extracts her hand. Emily crawls up on the bed beside her wife.

"I love you, Jennifer Prentiss. You carry my heart over there with you. Bring it home safely."

"I'll do my best, Emily. I love you, too."

Emily stands and undresses. She can tell her wife is spent for the night. She is kind of proud of that. They get situated in bed, JJ spooning against her wife's back, their hands, as always clasped together over Rocky.

"I love you both so much, Em. I will miss you so fucking much," she says emotionally.

Emily squeezes he wife's hand. "We'll miss you, too. But we'll Skype or email every day, right? And I will do my best to keep Rocky inside until you get home."

JJ smiles and kisses Emily's shoulder. "Good. I really don't want to miss her birth."

Emily smiles. "I know, sweetheart. I know."


	4. Chapter 4

Saturday morning Emily and JJ see Declan and Gerald off at Dulles International airport. Declan is excited to be flying on a private plane and even more excited to get to see his Dad. After he gives JJ a big hug, he looks into her eyes.

"I'll email you every day. Please be safe."

JJ smiles at him. "I will be. And I look forward to your emails already. I love you, Declan."

"I love you, too, Jennifer."

They share another hug and he heads out the door towards the plane. Gerald steps up and pulls JJ into a hug.

"Just say the word," he whispers.

"I know," she whispers back. "Thank you. For everything."

"You're welcome. Come back to us safely, Jennifer. I love you."

"Love you, too, Gerald."

He leaves for the plane. The two women stand at the window as it taxis away from the gate. Emily sighs.

"I think by the end of this weekend I will hate this airport."

JJ smiles and wraps an arm around her wife's waist. "I already do, sweetheart. I already do."

That evening the team gathers at Chateau Prentiss for a farewell dinner for JJ and Morgan. Alan, Sandy, Mark, Shelby and Abby had come down. Morgan's mother and one of his sisters had come in from Chicago to see him off. As they all eat and talk and laugh, Emily can almost convince herself that this is not really happening. But seeing the fear and sadness behind the happiness in everyone's eyes tells her the truth: her wife and best friend were heading into Hell.

She quietly escapes to the game room, hoping to just get control of her emotions before anyone notices she's gone. No such luck.

"We'll be okay," Morgan says from behind her.

She turns quickly wiping the tears from her cheeks. "I…I know…I just…shit…I'm scared, Derek. I can't handle something happening to either of you."

He pulls her into his arms. "I won't patronize you by saying nothing will happen to us. We both know better than that. But I will say I will do everything I can to protect her as she will do what she can to protect me. Your dad gave us the best armour in the world. We're going to have specialized training to deal with anything that can happen. And we aren't going into this with a false sense of bravado. We know anything can happen and will be on alert at all times. I swear to you, Emily, I will do my best to get your wife back to you safely. And I plan to do my damnedest to get back here to be the godfather of Rocky."

Emily sniffles. "I know all that but thank you for saying it again. I think I need to make a recording of you and Jen both saying it so I can replay it when the fear kicks in."

He smiles. "I'll get Baby Girl to set it up for me."

Emily chuckles. "Thank you."

"I was wondering where you two got off to," JJ says from the doorway. "You okay, Em?"

Emily chuckles sadly. "No."

JJ walks over and rubs her back. "Yeah, dumb question, huh? We're going to be okay. And I'll come back with an awesome tan!"

Emily manages a small chuckle. "If that's all you care about I'll buy you a fucking tanning bed."

JJ grins and kisses Emily's cheek. "I'll let you know. If I like my tan I may take you up on the offer."

Emily chuckles again. Derek finally leans back and kisses her forehead. "I'm leaving you in good hands. I should get back before Mom has her breakdown."

Emily smiles and nods. JJ pulls Emily into a hug. "I'm going to miss you so much. But I swear I will be as safe as I can be over there. Please, baby, please try not to worry so much your blood pressure spikes. Please?"

Emily can see that JJ needs this bit of assurance. And Emily will do everything she can to ease any fear she can.

"I will do my best, baby. I promise."

"Good. And look at the bright side: I won't be around to grimace when you eat sardines on crackers in bed," she says with a grin.

Emily laughs, feeling her heart lighten just a bit. "Rocky will be so happy."

The two share a kiss and hug before heading back to the party. They see Morgan and his mother in the living room and figure she's having a similar anxiety easing conversation with him. JJ sighs. She has a feeling there will be a lot of people with blood pressure problems until the two agents return.

Such is the risk with family.

* * *

Thanks to FBI badges, the entire group that had been at the Prentiss house the night before is allowed to go all the way to the gates with Morgan and JJ. Dulles to Vegas to a secret location for training. And in seven days from Nellis AFB to Kabul. They would not be back home for 9 weeks.

"I fucking hate this," Emily mumbles.

JJ smiles. "I believe you've said that a time or two."

As their flight is called, JJ is pulled into hugs by her parents, brother and sister-in-law. Emily stands to the side, letting them say their goodbyes first. Rossi rubs her back, knowing she needs support not words. Finally, only Emily is left.

The women cling to each other, tears staining each other's shoulders. Emily can't even speak. Finally JJ eases back.

"I love you, Emily Prentiss." She fingers her engagement ring, which hangs on a chain around Emily's neck. "And I plan for you to be putting this back on me in 9 weeks still pleasantly pregnant."

Emily manages a smile. "I'll do my best to convince Rocky to hang in until you get back."

They share a deep kiss and another hug. JJ feels a tug on her pant leg and smiles down at Henry.

"Boo, Mommy?"

She bends down and picks him up. "Mommy has to go bye-bye for a little while. Will you take care of Mama for me?"

He nods happily, not understanding exactly what's happening but knowing he can care for his Mama. "Love Mama."

JJ smiles through her tears. "Thanks, Little Man." She hugs him close. "I love you so much, Henry."

"Love, Mommy," he says giving her a kiss on the cheek.

JJ hands him to Emily. She kisses Emily once more.

"Nine weeks."

"I'm already counting the days," Emily tells her. "I love you, Jennifer Prentiss."

"I love you, Emily Prentiss."

With one last kiss and a wave, JJ walks through the door to board the plane. Morgan squeezes Emily's arm.

"I've got her back."

Emily nods. "And she's got yours."

He nods, giving her a hug and kiss. He ruffles Henry's hair and follows JJ onto the plane. Sandy walks over and pulls Emily and Henry into a hug. They move to the windows, not moving until they see the plane lift off and disappear into the distance.

"How do I make it, Sandy?"

Sandy squeezes her close. "I'll let you know when I know."

Emily leans her head against Henry's. The confused boy just pats his Mama's shoulder, trying to make her boo-boo go away. For what other reason would she be crying so much, he wonders.

* * *

That evening Emily is putting away dishes when JJ calls.

"Hi, baby. Just wanted to let you know we're here and getting settled."

Emily smiles. "Good. Was the flight okay?"

"Yeah, it was fine. I think I stopped crying somewhere over the Rockies."

Emily chuckles. "Good. Would have been bad if you flooded the plane."

JJ laughs. "Right. Hey, Em, I saw Mack earlier. Thought you might be interested to know someone gave her a black eye."

Emily blushes. "Really? Not surprising."

There is a pause. "Em…she told me what happened."

"Oh."

"She told me everything, including her proposition to you."

"Oh." Emily repeats.

"At least her eyes match now."

"Oh." Emily thinks a moment. "What? Ohhh! Shit! Did you hit her, too?"

"Damn right I did."

Emily busts out laughing. "So, think she gets that we're monogamous now?"

"If she doesn't she is never going to learn. Don't worry about her, Em. I don't plan to do anything more than work with her."

"I know. I just wanted to assure myself that she wouldn't be trying for more with you," Emily explains.

"I think we have successfully convinced her I am off limits. And so are _you_," she adds pointedly.

"Most definitely."

JJ sighs. "Em, I really hate to say this, but our first training starts at 3 a.m. tomorrow."

"Yuck! Glad I had this whole pregnancy thing to keep me home."

JJ laughs. "Gee, thanks." There is a pause. "I love you, Emily."

"I love you, too, Jen. Good luck with your training tomorrow."

"Thanks. I'll talk to you sometime tomorrow night."

"Call me. I don't care what time," Emily insists.

"I will. Promise. Give Henry an extra hug and kiss for me."

"I already did. He loves you, baby. He gave your picture a big hug and kiss at bedtime."

JJ smiles, her heart warming at the thought. "I love him so much."

"He's a good boy. And a huge consolation to me right now. I still have two wonderful parts of you with me. It's almost not fair to you."

"Well, you can make it up to me in 9 weeks and 1 day."

Emily chuckles. "Deal, Mrs. Prentiss."

"Shit…I really, really need to get to bed. But I just don't want to hang up."

"I know, baby. But you need rest. I kind of made sure you didn't get much last night."

JJ laughs. "True." She lets out a breath. "So…goodnight, Emily. I miss you and love you."

"I miss and love you, too, Jennifer."

"Bye, sweetheart."

"Bye, baby."

Emily hangs up the phone and leans against the counter for a moment. She walks over to the calendar on the wall and stares at it a moment. She lifts up the pen beside it and crosses through the day. She flips it ahead a couple months and looks at a day with a note written on it: JEN COMES HOME! She smiles.

"Too many fucking days. Too, too many." She rubs her stomach. "I miss her, Rocky. I miss her so much."

Rocky answers with a good swift kick. Emily chuckles.

"I hope that was an 'I love you' kick and not a 'get over it' kick." She smiles as she gets kicked again. "Yeah, it was I love you."

She finishes putting the dishes away then heads upstairs to watch some TV, hoping it will help turn her mind off and allow her to fall asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Monday morning Emily is surprised to see Garcia waiting at her desk when she gets in.

"Hey, Pen, you're here early."

Garcia smiles. "I know. I needed to go over this schedule with you before you got to work."

Emily frowns in curiosity as she takes the papers from Garcia. She sees it is a print out of the 9 weeks JJ would be gone and in each day was a name: Garcia, Reid, Hotch, Kevin, or Rossi. She looks at Garcia in confusion.

"What is this?"

"It's who is going to be on call for you."

Emily's eyes widen in amusement. "On call for me? For what?"

"For anything. At the party Saturday night I got them to tell me what nights they had obligations they couldn't get out of and made the schedule accordingly. Obviously, if a case comes up and you go with them they will all be at your beck and call. If you are here it will be me or Kevin. Most likely Kevin because if the team is gone then I will probably be swamped in my Office of Supreme Knowledge."

Emily chuckles. "And they were able to tell you their plans for the next 2 months?"

"Not exactly. They gave me what they could and then I explained to them I would be setting the schedule and they should make plans around it or trade with another team member," Garcia explains proudly.

Emily just busts out laughing. "Garcia, you totally rock. But, really, this isn't necessary. I know you all are just a phone call away if I need anything."

"True. And now you know who will be setting aside their night to be your servant." She raises a hand to stop Emily's protest. "Emily, you know as well as I do you won't win the argument. Put this copy by your phone at home. You computer and both of your cell phones already have the schedule programmed into them."

Emily frowns. "How did you program my phones to-you know what? Never mind. Can't believe I almost asked."

Garcia giggles. "We'll chalk that silly question up to pregnancy hormones affecting your brain. It's a common phenomenon."

Emily laughs and nods. "Yes, yes it is." She gives her friend a hug. "Thank you, Pen. I really needed to smile this morning."

Garcia kisses her cheek. "That's what I'm here for. Love you, Princess."

"Love you, too, Pen."

Emily sits down at her desk. Suddenly she turns towards the exiting Garcia. "Uh, hey, Pen? Does—"

"Yep, Jayje has a copy of the schedule, too."

Emily smiles. "You rock."

Garcia smiles proudly. "Yes, I so totally do."

She heads on out. Emily just shakes her head. When she left Henry that morning she had been sure she wouldn't be able to smile all day. In less than five minutes Penelope Garcia had proven that she could smile and even be happy with JJ so far away. Maybe these next 9 weeks will go faster than she thought.

* * *

"I think…both of…my arms…have fallen off," JJ pants out.

NCIS agent Tony Davide looks over at her. "They're…probably…with…mine."

The two of them had been traversing a "ravine" via a single rope. It was just 6 feet off the ground but JJ knows to take it seriously. It had meant hanging upside down by their arms and legs and pulling themselves across one reach at a time. JJ wipes the sweat off her brow.

"I thought…I was in good shape. Heck…I have a 1 year old…he's a good workout…not to mention…gym work," she mumbles.

Tony chuckles. "I have two daughters. Ages 3 and 5. Thought I was good, too."

JJ laughs. "We're screwed if this happens over there, aren't we?"

He laughs, too. "We might be."

A shadow falls across them. "Good work, Agents," their trainer tells them. "You had 4 minutes to make it across. You both took over 6. Hope there's a nice turn out for your funeral."

JJ moans, knowing what's coming next.

The sergeant leans over them. "GET YOUR ASSES UP AND GET ACROSS IN FOUR MINUTES! THERE WILL BE **NO** FAILURES ON MY WATCH!"

JJ and Tony leap up. Putting their gloves back on, they start back across the rope. JJ makes it at 3:59. Tony makes it a 4:02.

The sergeant looks at Tony in disgust. "You got your ass shot! Now your partner has to get you ass _and_hers to safety."

Tony stiffens. "She can leave me and—"

The sergeant gets in his face. "NO ONE GETS LEFT BEHIND!" He turns to JJ. "His legs are useless as the fucker got shot in the spine. Get his ass back to camp." He looks at his watch. "You have 10 minutes." He looks back at Tony. "Get on the ground. She does this the right way from the start so maybe you both learn to stay alive."

Tony reluctantly lies down. The sergeant looks at his watch.

"10 minutes…GO!"

JJ pulls Tony into a seated position. Tony fights the urge to use his legs to help her as she gets him up in a fireman's carry. Tony is only slightly smaller than Morgan so this is going to be a true test of JJ's physical abilities. Once she has him settled she takes a deep breath and takes off at a comfortable walk.

In his Humvee, the sergeant smiles. Most people try to run or jog. They tire out and don't make it, usually collapsing well before the base camp. This agent might actually make it. He may be driving them hard but so far he has been very impressed by the two FBI agents. The NCIS agents…well…they need work but they should be okay. Maybe.

When they finally make it to the base JJ slowly eases Tony to the ground. She can't even get her breath in her to ask about her time. She is bent over at the waist, her hands on her knees. The sergeant walks up to them.

"Good job, Agent Jareau. Only took you 14 minutes to save his sorry ass."

JJ groans, expecting that she is about to be told to do it again. The sergeant can't help but grin.

"You're the first damn agent to get back in under 20. Most drop before they make it here." JJ slowly looks up at him. "Damn fine job, Jareau. Damn fine."

As the man walks away, JJ drops to the ground. She is so glad he didn't tell her to do it again. She might have had to shoot him.

* * *

Morgan reaches his hand down to Mack Brewster. She ignores it and continues trying to pull herself up the embankment.

"Damn it, Brewster, take my hand!"

"I've GOT this!"

As she says it, her foot slips and she starts to slide back down. Morgan rolls his eyes. He is so glad that neither JJ nor Emily are too proud to accept help.

"TAKE! MY! HAND!" he yells at Mack.

"NO!" she insists.

"Damn it, Brewster! We only have-"

"TIME!" the drill sergeant yells.

Morgan's head drops to the ground. "Son of a bitch," he mutters.

The woman training them storms up to Brewster, who has gone ahead and slid the rest of the way to the ground. The agent is gasping for breath. The sergeant leans down into her face.

"WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T YOU TAKE HIS HAND?"

Mack glares at her. "I was fi—"

"YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD! AND YOUR PARTNER IS DEAD, TOO! STOP BEING A JACKASS AND ACCEPT HELP WHEN IT'S OFFERED! HIS LIFE DEPENDS ON IT AND I DARE SAY HE GIVES A DAMN ABOUT HIS LIFE EVEN IF YOU DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOURS!" She turns and stares up at Morgan. "GET DOWN HERE AND DO IT AGAIN!" She looks back at Mack. "And this time succeed or your ass will be running all the way back to the barracks!"

Morgan slides down the slope. He glares at Mack as he walks past her to the start of the obstacle course. Mack just lays there a second longer then gets up and follows him. First Emily, then JJ, and now this sergeant. When the hell did all the women around Mack start getting too fucking hard to control?

As they make their way through the course this time, Mack reluctantly allows Morgan to help her a couple of times. They make it through over the required 30 minutes by 27 seconds. The sergeant stares into Mack's eyes.

"I've done 2 tours in Iraq and 1 in Afghanistan. I am alive because I accepted help when I needed it and helped others when they needed it. There is no time for pride or women's fucking lib in a war zone. You'd be smart to learn that before you get over there."

Mack just glares at the woman as she gets into her vehicle. As the agents move towards it the sergeant holds up her hand to stop them.

"You have 40 minutes to make it back to camp. After that, well, the vultures will be happy."

She starts the Humvee and drives away. Morgan sets his watch timer and sets off at a light jog. Mack just shakes her head. She gives him a bit of head start then starts to jog, keeping pace with him but not running close enough to feel the irritation radiating off him like waves in the ocean.

He makes it back to the barracks in 37 minutes. Mack finally drops to the ground in front of them at 43 minutes. Their sergeant walks up to them.

"If I average your times together you both made it. But that's not how the real world works, Brewster. You better start getting in under the allotted time. Here…here it's just you pissing me off. Over there…it's your family getting a flag-draped coffin."

Mack just glares at the woman as she storms off. She glances up at Morgan.

"What a bitch."

"Yeah, you are," he mutters and heads in to shower and change. The morning had been about the physical aspects of training. The afternoon was classroom sessions. He normally hates the classroom sessions. Today…today they sounded like Heaven.


	6. Chapter 6

Wednesday afternoon finds Emily, Rossi, Hotch, Reid and Garcia gathered in the conference room. Garcia clicks on the screen.

"Richmond, Virginia. Two teenagers went missing on Monday. Local police thought they were runaways until their clothes and backpacks were found in a Goodwill drop box."

"How were the items found?" Emily asks.

"A volunteer went to empty it and recognized them from the news reports. She called the police and they found the girls' school ID's in the packs," Garcia explains.

"Ransom demands?" Rossi asks.

"Nope."

Hotch frowns. "Could the girls have decided to run away and simply changed clothes and ditched everything?"

"Possibly. But all reports are these were two good kids: honor roll, athletics, volunteer work, etc.," Garcia reports.

Hotch stands. "Call the police and let them know we're on the way. Make sure they get you any updates as soon as possible."

"Will do."

"Rossi, Prentiss, go to Jennifer Allen's house. Reid, you and I will go to Adrianne Behies house."

An hour and a half later Emily is knocking on the door of the Allen house. A man opens the door, worry and expectation in his face. She holds up her badge.

"I'm Agent Prentiss, this is Agent Rossi with the FBI. We need to speak with Jennifer Allen's family and get a look at her room."

"I'm their neighbor Mark Weatherly. Is this really necessary? They told the police everything already."

Rossi nods. "We understand. But we're profilers. We do things a little differently. Our aim is to get in Jennifer's mind through their impressions of her, her computer history, her room. These are the things that can help us trace her from when she was last seen to where she is now."

Weatherly stares at the agents a moment then nods. As they enter, he introduces them to Jennifer's parents. Rossi sits down to speak with them as Emily makes her way to the girl's room. She can't help but rub a hand protectively over Rocky as she goes.

_"I'll always protect you, Rocky. Always,_" she vows silently.

Standing at the doorway she studies the band posters on the wall. None were ones that ring alarms as contributing to teen angst or feelings of alienation. The room itself looks like pictures she had seen of her own Jennifer's room.

"_Why the hell did her name have to be Jennifer?_" Emily laments.

She finally steps across the threshold. She walks over to the computer on the desk and turns it on. Once it is booted up she plugs in an air card and calls Garcia.

"Garcia, I'm hooked into Jennifer Allen's laptop. Work your magic."

"Will do. Uh, Em, sorry about the name thing," Garcia says, her fingers typing away.

Emily smiles. "How'd you know?"

"Kinda got me, too. And the guys won't admit it but it hit them, too."

Emily chuckles. "Good to know. Let me know if you find something."

"Will holler when I'm done tripping through her cyber life."

Emily pockets her phone and starts to flip through the papers on the desk. Just schoolwork. She looks around wondering where in this room is the secret hiding place. She makes her way to the window but the sill is not wide enough to conceal anything. She moves to the closet, flipping through the clothes. Again, preppy city versus being clothes of an outsider…clothes like Emily wore.

As she moves to the dresser, her phone rings.

"Yeah, Garcia?"

"She had been talking online to three people on a regular basis. One is the other missing girl and the others are 2 boys from Chester. Their names and addresses are on their way to you."

"Good. Anything in their talks about running away together?"

"Nothing that I-oh…oh, no…oh, girls…"

"Garcia, what is it?"

"The boys aren't 'boys'. They are men. Like in their 40's men."

"Son of a bitch," Emily mutters. "Call Hotch."

"On it. Be careful!"

"Always," Emily says.

She heads into the living room. "Agent Rossi? Agent Jareau has some information for us."

He raises an eyebrow. "I see." He looks at the parents. "Thank you for your time. I promise we will do everything we can to bring your daughter home to you."

They get out to the SUV and Rossi starts it before questioning Emily.

"What's going on?"

"Garcia found the girls were talking to two boys from Chester who turned out to be two men in Petersburg."

"Son of a bitch," he mutters.

Emily can't help but grin. "My words exactly. She's calling Hotch." She types the address into the GPS and Rossi starts to follow the directions. A minute later her phone rings. "Hotch? We're on our way to the address Garcia sent."

"Good. Meet up at the south end of the block. We don't want to go in there if it will put the girls in danger."

"Right. See you at the rendezvous point."

She relays the information to Rossi. Twenty minutes later they are pulling into a not-so-nice neighborhood. Two Petersburg police cars sit with Hotch and Reid. Rossi and Emily get out and approach their chief.

"How do we want to play this?" Rossi asks.

"The police can't approach without potentially scaring the men." He looks at Prentiss. "But maybe a pregnant lady with car trouble?"

Emily's hand immediately goes to her stomach. "Hotch…are you fucking serious?" she asks angrily.

"All you have to do is ask them to call your husband. Do NOT go in the house no matter what. Just confirm the men are in there and see if there is anything to indicate that the girls are there."

Emily stares at Hotch a moment then slowly shakes her head. "No. And in all honesty, sir, fuck you for even suggesting it."

She turns and walks away, climbing back in the SUV she and Rossi had driven. Hotch looks frustrated. Rossi stares at him.

"She's right, Aaron. That was a shitty request and you know it."

"It's just a knock on a door!" he argues.

"Bullshit," Rossi states. "Can you 100% guarantee those guys won't panic if someone knocks on their door? Can you be sure they won't shoot first and ask questions later? Really?"

Hotch stares at Rossi a moment then looks away with shame in his eyes. "Son of a bitch," he mutters.

Rossi nods. "That's the general consensus so far."

"We still need to get a look inside that house."

"I'll go," Reid volunteers. Hotch looks at him. Reid grins. "Of the three of us, who looks the most helpless?"

Hotch finally nods. "Good point. Get a look and get the hell away."

Reid nods, turning his cell to vibrate and sticking it in his pocket. He moves his gun to his lower back and pulls his shirt out to cover it. As he starts up the street, Hotch moves back to the SUV. He opens Emily's door.

"When you're off maternity leave you get me one on one in the sparring ring. I was an asshole. Sorry isn't enough," he says contritely.

She stares at him and sees he truly is sorry. "If Jen finds out she'll want a shot at you, too."

He manages a grin. "Deal."

She nods. "Never again, Hotch. I won't forgive this again," she warns him.

"I won't be this fucking bone-headed again. I promise."

She nods, accepting this apology but knowing she would most likely punch Hotch if he ever made the suggestion again. She gets out so she can watch to see how Reid does on his scout of the house.

Reid has made it to the front door. As he is about to knock, he stops. His eyes get wide and he pulls his gun.

"FBI! OPEN UP!"

"What the hell?!" Hotch screams.

Emily can only watch as Rossi, Hotch and the police officers race towards the house. She paces behind a police car so she can see the house but have added protection should bullets start flying. She watches as they surround the house as best they can. Her phone rings.

"Yeah, Hotch?"

"SWAT is on the way. I've told the commander to get with you to make sure he knows exactly who is down here."

"Right. What is the reason for entry?"

"Reid heard a girl scream 'No' and then the sound of something falling. When he identified himself, he heard 2 girls scream for help and then men yelling at them to shut the hell up."

"Right."

For six hours Hotch negotiates with the men holding the two girls hostage. Finally he acknowledges that the men are not going to surrender.

Emily is standing with the parents of both girls back by the SUV's. Hotch calls her to tell her SWAT is preparing to enter with force. Emily sighs and turns to the parents.

"Negotiations have failed. The men are not going to release the girls or surrender." She glances at her watch. "Since it's nearly midnight, the SWAT team will take over and plan to infiltrate and rescue the girls."

Jennifer's father shakes his head. "N—no. NO! No, they could hurt Jennifer and Adrianne! They can't!"

"Sir, I swear to you, if Agent Hotchner felt the men could be reasoned with he would keep going. By now those men are tired and getting desperate. If we keep waiting that desperation could turn violent. Right now we control the situation. Trust me, this is the safest way."

He stares at her, his eyes going to her stomach and the back to her face. "And if it was your child?"

"I'd trust Agent Hotchner to do what he felt is best to save her."

Nothing more is said. The parents cling to each other. Emily sighs and turns back to the house. Her phone vibrates in her hand and she sees a text from JJ.

_"Hey, baby. Just got to the barracks. You still awake?"_

Emily types back quickly. _"On a case. Call Pen."_

She holds her breath as the SWAT team deploys towards the house.

* * *

JJ smiles as her phone vibrates. She had worried Emily would already be asleep. The physical training today had been in the afternoon and early evening to see how the changing light can affect perceptions. As she reads the text her heart jumps. She runs over and knocks on the door of the men's barracks.

"MORGAN!" she calls out.

He opens the door a moment later. "What?"

Her phone is to her ear. "Pen? What's going on?"

Morgan frowns and steps outside as JJ puts the phone on speaker. They get the rundown from the analyst who is now waiting to hear from someone on scene what has happened at the house.

JJ looks at Morgan. "Shit, Pen, I don't think I ever realized how hard it has to be for you to just…just have to wait for word. This really sucks."

"Tell me about it, Queenie," Garcia agrees.

Morgan and JJ pace, not realizing that back in her lair Garcia is doing the same thing. The three of them talk about the training the two agents had been going through and that which is still to come. Garcia manages to chuckle when they tell how Mack keeps getting her ass handed to her by the sergeants. Finally, after an hour Garcia's other line rings. She conferences it in to JJ's phone.

"Emily?" the analyst answers.

"Scene cleared, Pen. The girls are…well…they're alive. From what Hotch can see this is not the first abduction for these two assholes. We're going to get a hotel and then hit the house hard in the morning."

"Are Crime Scene Techs going to do their thing tonight?" Morgan asks.

There is a loooooong pause. "Morgan?" Emily asks in confusion.

Garcia chuckles. "Oh, uh, sorry. The BAU Nevada branch is on conference with us."

Emily chuckles. "Both members?"

"Both members," JJ confirms.

"Good to hear your voices," Emily tells them. "And, yes, Morgan, CSI's are going to hit it tonight. Rossi and Reid will stay with them for the initial sweep. Garcia, Hotch wants you to come down here tomorrow to take charge of the electronics sweeps. This is looking like an interstate case so we'll have primary jurisdiction of it until further notice."

"That's got to piss off the locals," JJ says.

"Yeah, it's not exactly been a happy site since Hotch pulled the case completely to us. But I think the locals won't care as long as they get a crack at these bastards." She pauses and they hear her talking to someone. She comes back on the line. "That's Hotch. We're getting ready to head to the hotel. Jen, do you want me to call you when we get checked in?"

"No, baby, you and Rocky need your rest. And, in all honesty, I'm about to drop. I'll talk to you or text you some time tomorrow. I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you, too."

"And I love you, too, Wookie-Nubs," Morgan teases.

"Awww, I know you do, Pookie Bear," Emily teases back, to the laughter of the other 3. "Seriously, take care, Morgan."

"You, too, Em. Take care of my goddaughter."

"I will. Te amo, Jen. Tu eres mi mundo."

JJ smiles. "Ahora y para siempre, Emily. Te amo."

Emily smiles as she hangs up her phone.

In Nevada, Morgan looks at JJ. "It's not fair when you two start speaking other languages. Sexy as hell, but not fair."

JJ laughs and pats his shoulder. "Goodnight, Morgan."

He grins. "Night, Jayje."

* * *

JJ heads inside and gets ready for bed. As she drops down onto her bunk, Mack leans up on her elbow.

"Have a nice chat with your wife?" she asks snidely.

JJ nods, refusing to be baited. "Yes, I did. Thank you for asking."

Mack sighs, upset she can't get a rise out of JJ. Add into her attitude her frustration over her less than stellar performance in the physical training and she was becoming a very angry agent.

No matter…for two months she will have Jennifer Jareau Prentiss and Emily won't. A lot can change in a war zone. A lot.

She looks over at her roommate. Light filtering in from outside bath JJ in a flattering light, not that she needed special lighting to appear beautiful. The woman was a knock out and Mack was determined to have her. She always did love a challenge.


	7. Chapter 7

Sunday morning JJ finishes packing her duffle bag. As she sets her helmet on top of it a flock of butterflies takes off in her stomach. A helicopter will take them to Nellis Air Force base in 20 minutes. Their flight leaves in two hours. She sits down on her bunk. And in just over 30 hours they would be in Kabul for 8 weeks.

She pulls out her phone and stares at the picture of Emily and Henry on the screen. Taking a deep breath she hits her speed dial, hoping her voice will sound steadier than she feels.

"Jen! Hi, baby," Emily greets her with forced happiness.

JJ grins. "You sound about as happy as feel."

Emily sighs. "Sorry, honey, I tried."

"I know you did, sweetheart. I appreciate it. We're heading out of here in 20 minutes. I just…wanted to speak with you before we go," she explains, her voice choked with tears.

"I'm glad," Emily replies, equally emotional. "I guess it will be a while before I hear from you again."

"Yeah. I'll text you when we get there but I don't know what they have planned for us once we get on site."

"I don't care what time, Jen, if you have a chance to call, call me. I'll…I'll need to hear your voice."

JJ smiles. "Likewise, Mrs. Prentiss."

"Jen, hold on a second," Emily asks. She holds the phone out to Henry. "Say hi to Mommy, Champ."

"MOMMY!" Henry says excitedly.

JJ smiles, wiping tears from her cheeks. "Hey, Little Man. You taking care of Mama for me?"

"Love Mama."

JJ chuckles. "Good boy. I love you, Henry. I miss you so much."

"Love Mommy. Ska love!"

JJ laughs. "I love Alaska, too. Bye, sweetheart."

"Bye!"

And just like that Henry has run off after his puppy. Emily brings the phone back to her ear.

"He's doing okay, Jen. He misses you and is getting cranky just listening to the CD of you telling him a story but he will be okay."

"I know," JJ says softly. "What about you?"

Emily chuckles. "Rocky and I are enjoying the extra room in the bed."

JJ laughs, her heart a little lighter for the joke. "Well, in that case I'm glad the brass picked me for this trip."

The brunette chuckles…then sighs, her voice sobering. "Honestly, Jen, I feel…a little lost. But it's only 8 more weeks. Military families go a hell of a lot longer and have more to worry about. I'm trying to remind myself of that any time I start to wallow in self-pity."

"Is it working?"

"I'll let you know when it does," Emily admits.

JJ glances at her watch. "God, Em, I hate to do this but I need to head out to the helipad."

Emily swallows. "Yeah…okay…I understand."

"I love you, Emily. Please take care of yourself. And don't hesitate to use Garcia's schedule if you need to."

Emily smiles. "I won't. Promise. I love you, too, Jen. Please, please stay safe. I miss you so much."

"I miss you, too. Give everyone my love."

"I will. Goodb—uh…talk to you soon, Jennifer."

JJ catches Emily's unwillingness to say goodbye and understands. "I'll text as soon as we land. I love you, baby."

"Love you, too."

JJ reluctantly disconnects. Taking a deep breath, she stands, lifts up her helmet, slings her duffle bag over her shoulder and leaves the barracks.

At the other end of the line, Emily stares at her phone, watching the readout blinking that her call had ended after 5 minutes and 32 seconds. She takes a deep breath and stands up. She finds Henry in the playroom rolling around with Alaska. She smiles at him.

"Come on, Champ. Let's get ready for church. We really need to make it today."

He smiles and stands, not understanding the urgency of going. Emily can't help but wish she could be as innocent; as unable to imagine the horrible "what ifs" her wife could face over the next few weeks.

* * *

Damn it's hot, JJ thinks to herself. And bright. Has it ever been this bright in the States? Is the sun planted here or what? Between the heat and the light JJ could almost believe she is on the sun. It should be against the law to have to wear so many clothes when it's this hot.

She glances at Morgan and sees he is already dripping, too. They had only gone from the plane to the hangar and already they were both soaked. She had thought the Nevada desert had prepared her. Turns out it had nothing on Kabul. She sighs.

"These two months are really going to suck," she states.

Morgan looks at her and grins. "You just picking up on that, Profiler?"

JJ just grins and walks with him to the man who will be in charge of their unit here in the war zone. The stocky man extends his hand.

"Agents, good to finally see you in person." He shakes the hands of all four. "I'm Peter Wodnizski and I'm in charge of the intelligence teams here in Kabul. I've read your files, seen the reports from your instructors and spoken to each of your bosses. I know you'll be great assets to us. I also know you're fast learners and want to get settled and get to work. There are two Humvees outside waiting to take you to where you'll be staying. Due to the nature of your mission here, you four will be sharing a small house here on base. You have 2 hours to get settled and grab a bite to eat." He looks to Morgan and Tony. "Then you two will need to get to the local police station to speak with a man who claims to have information on insurgent movements in Kandahar." He looks at the female agents. "I need you two to report to the command center for a conference call with the Pentagon. I know you just got here but act like you know what's going on."

JJ chuckles. "Sounds like most meetings I attend."

He grins. "Good attitude. Look, I know it seems like you've been tossed into a blender but every minute we waste is more Allied blood spilled."

Morgan nods. "Understood. We're here to work not get a tan."

"One question," Tony interjects. "How the hell do we know where to go?"

Wodnizski chuckles. "You'll find four GPS units at your house with several places already programmed in."

Tony nods. "Good. Not sure I'd trust the locals for directions just yet."

Wodnizski nods. "Keep that distrust. It will keep you alive."

The agents all nod in agreement. They head out to the Humvees. Wodnizski watches as the FBI agents take one and the NCIS agents the other. He chuckles, wondering how long until they forget they work for different alphabet agencies.

In their vehicle, Morgan watches as JJ takes out her phone and fires off a text message. As she hits send, she looks out the window at the barren landscape.

"You okay?" he asks.

She slowly rolls her head and gives him an "Are you joking" look. He laughs.

"Right. Dumb question. Well, I don't know about you but I'm glad we're getting right to work. Idle hands make for looooong days."

JJ nods. "True. I just wish—" her thoughts break off as her phone dings. She smiles as she sees a picture from Emily: her and Henry holding up a sign that says "We love you, Mommy! Miss you!" JJ hits a button and it becomes her new background image. Her phone dings again.

"Glad you made it, baby. We love and miss you. We're proud of you, Jen. Te amo."

Morgan just smiles as he sees something in JJ settle. Yes, it still sucked to be so far away but she would be okay.

* * *

Two nights later JJ is staring at the ceiling. Mack's snores are worse than anything JJ has ever had to deal with. Finally she gets up.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," she mutters as she heads into the small living room area in the house. She drops down onto the couch. At least now if she couldn't sleep she wouldn't have to listen to Mack. She has almost fallen back asleep when the front door opens. She sits up quickly, giving a sigh of relief when Morgan and Tony walk in.

"Hey! You're back! We've been worried."

Morgan moans and drops down into the recliner. "You had reason to be."

JJ stares from him to Tony. She reaches over and turns on the lamp and her eyes get wide.

"Holy shit! What the hell happened?"

Morgan's face is swollen and bruised. Tony's left arm is bandaged from hand to elbow.

"IED exploded near us," Tony tells her. "Any closer and…" his voice just trails off.

JJ is stunned. "No one told us. Shit. Can I get you guys anything?"

"One-way ticket home?" Tony asks as he drops onto the end of the couch.

JJ smiles nervously. "I wish."

"Then how about a bottle of water so I can take another pain pill?"

"That I can do." She hurries into the kitchen and grabs a bottle for both men. As she hands it to them, she stares at Morgan. "Derek…anything other than the face?"

He slowly shakes his head. "No." He looks JJ in the eyes. "We got lucky. Too fucking lucky."

JJ nods. Seeing her friends bruised and bandaged it really hits her just how dangerous this whole mission could be. It fleetingly flashes through her mind that she could call Elizabeth and Gerald. But then she knows she would feel guilty forever for leaving Morgan and for sending another agent in her place. She pats his arm.

"I'm so glad you're okay. Mostly."

He nods wearily. "Me, too, Jayje. Me, too."


	8. Chapter 8

Emily is just about to go to lunch on Thursday when Garcia walks in and stops her.

"We have a case. A bad one," she says, continuing on to Hotch's office.

Emily sets her purse back in her drawer and grabs her pad and pen, making her way to the round table room. She sends a text out to Reid, knowing he should almost be back from lunch.

_"Hurry back. Bad case."_

Five minutes later, Garcia starts the briefing with just Hotch, Rossi and Emily. Reid had texted back that he was 10 minutes away. Garcia turns on the screen.

"Three women have been found in Denver, Colorado in the last 2 weeks with their heads shaved and wearing jogging shorts and tank tops."

"Dead?" Rossi asks.

"No," Garcia says, steeling herself for the answer. "Lobotomized." The other three wince. "And not professionally."

"All memory of what happened gone, I assume?" Emily asks.

"Yes. One lady, she has no memory after her fifth birthday. The second victim can remember the night before she went missing but she can't speak. And the third is…essentially…she is brain damaged beyond hope."

"Son of a bitch," Hotch mutters. "Signs of rape?"

"Yes. And torture, though there is no way to know what happened to them first. And to make things worse, 2 more women have been reported missing and the police worry at least one may have been taken by the unsub."

"The clothes they were found in weren't theirs, right?" Rossi confirms.

"Correct. As soon as I get you all airborne I will start a search to see if I can find where they were bought and who bought them. I will also start running the three victims to see if they have any overlaps in their life where they might have met the unsub."

Hotch nods. "Very good. Wheels up 10 minutes after Reid gets back."

The others nod and leave to get this case moving forward. As she walks to her desk, Emily sighs. It was bad enough JJ was 9 hours ahead of her. Now it would be 11. As she gets her briefcase packed, she looks at the newest picture on her desk: JJ in her BDU's sitting on a tank. She was smiling but Emily could see the tension in her wife's face. After a second, she grabs the picture and puts it in her briefcase. Lifting her phone, she sends JJ a text letting her know where the team was going. She gets a text back a few minutes later.

_"Let me know when you are on the jet and can talk. I love you."_

Emily smiles. She fires back an affirmative and heads downstairs. She needed a few minutes alone with her thoughts.

* * *

After the plane takes off and Reid is caught up, Emily moves to the back and hits the speed dial for her wife. After one ring it is answered.

"Em! Hey, baby."

"Hi, Jen. God, it's so good to hear your voice."

"Yours, too."

Emily pauses a moment. "What happened?"

"Fuck…how the hell do you do that?"

"Jen…" Emily says warningly.

"I'm fine, honey, I swear. And so is Morgan. But he and Tony got…they were…near an IED when it blew yesterday. They are FINE," JJ stresses. "It just…scared me," she finishes quietly.

"Oh, baby," Emily says, tears in her eyes. "How bad were they hurt?"

"Morgan has some bruises on his face. Tony's arm got burned a little. Both are sore from being thrown but…God, honey, it could have been so much worse," JJ says, her voice breaking.

"Jen, sweetheart, they are alive. They are mostly okay." She takes a steadying breath. "Kind of sounds like the damage we had done back in Ames, right? Except neither of them tried to catch a piece of a building with their face."

JJ manages to chuckle. "Not everyone can be as good as me."

Emily grins. "Exactly." She pauses. "Jen, you do know how much I love you, right."

JJ sighs. "I do, baby. I swear I do. I love you, too."

"I know. It keeps me warm at night."

JJ smiles. "It keeps me cool. Trust me…that's a good thing." Emily chuckles. "I have a couple more pics to—damn." Emily hears someone talking to JJ, then hears her wife sigh. "Honey, I hate to say this but I have to go. They just had a woman show up at the base. She's really agitated and they want Mack and me to talk to her."

Emily closes her eyes. "Yeah, of course. I understand."

"I'll text you when I can talk. If you can call, go for it. If not, I know you're on a case."

"Right. As soon as I can I'll call you back. I love you, Jennifer."

"I love you, too, Emily. Bye, sweetheart."

"Talk to you soon."

Emily disconnects the call, staring at the blinking display a moment before turning her head to stare out the window. She feels a hand on her shoulder and turns to see Rossi standing beside her. She starts to speak…but just bursts into tears.

Rossi kneels down pulls her close. "Va bene così. Grido tutto ciò di cui avete bisogno. Siamo qui per voi."*

* * *

By the time they arrive in Denver Emily is totally focused on the case. Garcia had managed to find the store where the clothes had been purchased so Rossi and the lead detective were heading there to check with employees and view security footage. Hotch and Reid were on their way to two places that overlapped for the first three victims, as well as one of the missing women.

Emily goes straight to the police station. Already the papers were calling the unsub "The Runners Rapist" and she needed to get that stopped ASAP. An hour after she arrives, she steps up to a podium on the steps of the police precinct.

"I am Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss of the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit. We are here today to assist the police in coming up with a profile for the person suspected of attacking 3 women in recent weeks. At this time we have no new information to release but we do request you stop using the moniker 'The Runners Rapist' in your stories. Giving this unknown subject a title gives him power he doesn't deserve. Additionally, it implies he only attacks runners which is false and could mean potential leads are not called in.

"We do ask that you tell women traveling the city alone to be extra vigilant at this time. Better to suspect everyone and stay safe than let your guard down and become a victim.

"As soon as we have developed our profile and/or found any information that could assist the public, we will call another press conference. Thank you in advance for your responsible reporting of these crimes."

As reporters hurl questions at her, Emily turns and walks back inside the building. She had no idea the unsub was watching…and planning his next kidnapping.

* * *

***Per Babylon Translator: It's okay. Cry all you need. We're here for you.**


	9. Chapter 9

After having already worked a 12 hour day, JJ and Mack put in another 6 hours with the agitated woman. It seems her husband has taken their daughter and plans to use her as a suicide bomber. Since the daughter is mentally handicapped, the man has no use for her and she is easy to manipulate.

By 7 a.m. they are getting the full details, as well as pictures of the man and teenager out to the troops around the city. At 8:12 a.m. (JJ knows because she was staring at the clock when the call came in) they get the news that a suicide bomber has detonated herself in the middle of marketplace on the edge of town.

JJ stands up and kicks a garbage can across the room. Mack just stares at the wall, stunned into silence. It is nearly noon before they get the confirmation that it was, in fact, the girl they had been hoping to save.

"Fuck this shit," JJ mutters as she heads out to their Humvee.

Mack climbs in a second later. They sit there, staring out the front window. Finally Mack looks at her partner.

"We haven't even been here a week and I feel like it's been forever."

JJ nods. "Me, too."

They sit a few minutes more before JJ sighs.

"We have to go back in and tell her. We have to tell her she did everything we asked and more but it wasn't enough."

Mack nods. "I know. Did they at least find the father that did this?"

JJ shakes her head. "Not yet. And he better hope to hell someone finds him before I do."

Mack just nods, knowing JJ isn't just talking to talk. After a few minutes the two head back inside to let the woman know the fate of her daughter.

* * *

By the time they return to their house, they have worked for 32 hours straight. JJ drops down on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Mack glances at her.

"Mind if I shower first?"

JJ just shakes her head. She is still trying to figure out how a parent could do that to their child. She turns her head and stares at the electronic picture frame scrolling through family photos. The images blur as tears fill her eyes. She stands and strips off her body armor. She grabs a towel and heads for the shower in the guy's room, knowing it would be a couple of hours until they got home.

In the warm shield of water, she lets her tears fall, sobbing for a little girl who trusted her daddy…and died for it.

"Henry…Rocky…I will never, ever hurt you," JJ whispers. "I will protect you and hurt anyone who tries to harm you. I will never…could never…God…how could anyone…?"

When the water starts to get cold, she quickly washes her hair and body. As she dries off she realizes she didn't think to bring in sweats and a tee to put on. She knows better than to just wrap up in a towel around Mack so she regretfully pulls on her sweaty undershirt and her dirty pants.

In the bedroom, Mack sees her and rolls her eyes. "Jeez, Jareau, you could have just used your towel. Not like I've got the energy to jump your bones or anything."

JJ just glares at her. She grabs her clean clothes and heads into the bathroom. She may have to work with her, may even respect the work she's done so far, but JJ will not be social with Mack. No way would she risk giving the woman the wrong idea.

Once dressed she starts towards the kitchen. "Hungry?" she asks Mack.

Mack nods. "I could eat."

JJ just pulls out a pot to put on some spaghetti. Mack grabs her arm.

"Damn it, Jennifer! Look at me!" JJ looks from the hand on her arm to the brunette's face. "We're going to be in this hellhole for the next 7 weeks; working and living side-by-side 24/7. Do you plan to be a bitch the whole time?"

JJ pulls her arm away. "You do good work, Mack. You connected with that woman and you got all the information we needed. You've been very good at that so far. But don't think my respect for your work translates to respect for you. On a personal level, I don't trust you and don't like you. So if that makes me a bitch, then yes, I will be a bitch for the next 7 weeks."

Mack just stares at JJ a minute before turning and heading back into the bedroom. "Forget it. I'm not hungry after all."

JJ just watches her go. Truth is…JJ is wired. Had this been a case in the States she would have made love to Emily; been made love to _by_ Emily. They would have eased their stress, fear, and anger with their love. JJ craves that connection. She had heard the cliché about war making strange bedfellows.

Now she fears that somewhere in the next 7 weeks she may find out firsthand just how true that is.


	10. Chapter 10

Friday morning the BAU team is staring at a list of possible suspects. Hotch has cleared off a whiteboard and written down the first names of the five men in question. He picks up a green dry erase marker.

"Okay, suspect 1, what fits?" he asks.

For the next half hour the team figures out what works and what doesn't for each suspect. They finally narrow it down to 2 men they want to question further. Both men work for vendors that deliver to the grocery store all 3 victims and 1 of the missing women use as well as the store where the clothing was purchased.

Hotch stares at the board, grimacing. If he had his full team it would be no problem to split up and question these men. But with just three agents able to go into the field, he is concerned about the missing woman. Emily walks up to him.

"I'm sorry, Hotch," she whispers.

He turns and looks at her. "What?"

She shrugs. "If…If I wasn't pregnant you'd have me, or probably Jen, to go out there to question these guys. I'm sorry."

He raises an eyebrow. "Don't you _ever _say that again. I'm not sorry you're carrying Rocky. And JJ not being here is all on the brass, not on you, not on me. We'll make it through this case and any others that come up. Is that understood?"

Emily stares at him a moment, then smiles and nods. "Understood, sir."

"Good." He turns and looks at the others. "Rossi, Reid, take bachelor number 1. I'll find the lead detective and go after number 4."

The others chuckle at his attempt to lighten the mood. Truth is they all felt the absence of Morgan and JJ on this one more than the last one. They know this is just a reminder of how tight they are as a team; how each of them makes the others stronger. But all they can do is get out there and find the unsub and save a woman's life.

Emily wishes them luck as they leave.

* * *

An hour later, Emily looks up as a man walks into the conference room. She recognizes him immediately…from their suspect pool. As he pulls out a gun, she thinks to herself.

_"Shit…it was number 2."_

He smiles at her. "Adelaide Wilkie will live if you come with me, Agent Prentiss. Refuse and you all will never find her and she will die a slow, agonizing death from starvation." He tilts his head to the side. "Not to mention your little bundle of joy will never take a breath of air before dying."

Emily's insides turn to ice. She feels her blood pressure start to race. She slowly stands. "I'll…I'll do what you want."

He nods. "Good. Put your cell phone on the table. Don't want the nasty GPS to ruin our fun." Emily does as he directs, knowing her personal cell is in her pocket. "Good girl. Clutch piece?"

Emily shakes her head. "No." She steps out where he can see her legs and lifts her pant legs to prove she's not lying.

He nods. "Perfect. Cuffs?"

Emily sighs and reaches slowly into her briefcase to pull them out.

He nods again. "Excellent. Don't put them on just yet. Don't want to arouse suspicion. You and I are going to walk calmly out of here. Do anything strange and the baby and Wilkie are dead, understood?"

"Yes," Emily chokes out. She feels her phone vibrate in her pocket. _"If that's Jen, she'll call back. If she calls again she'll call someone else next…right? Please, Jen, don't stop trying to reach me,"_ Emily silently wills her wife.


	11. Chapter 11

JJ desperately needs to speak to her wife. Or someone. She tries Emily 3 times, even texting her to call ASAP. Finally she accepts that Emily must be tied up with the case and instead calls Garcia.

"Office of the All Knowing," Garcia answers cheerfully.

JJ can't help but smile. "I miss you, Pen."

"JAYJE! Damn, I just assumed you were one of the team. Well, I mean, you _are_ one of the team but you're not on this case and I thought you were one of them telling me you caught the bastard. How are you?"

JJ chuckles at the rambling statement. "I've been better. Had hoped to catch Em but I guess she's busy. I just…needed to hear a friendly voice."

"Well, I'm glad that it could be me if it can't be your Princess Charming. How's life in the sandbox?"

"Hot. Sticky. Fucking ugly," JJ says, choking up.

Garcia sobers a bit. "Hey…what's wrong?"

JJ sighs and tells her everything. By the end, they are both in tears. Garcia just shakes her head.

"Oh, honey, I just wish I could do a thing and get you home."

JJ smiles. "Me, too. But don't. I'd feel guilty for leaving Morgan and for making someone else come in my place. I'll just…do my time and be done with it."

"You are so brave, Jayje. I wish I-shit…Hotch is calling. Hold on a second." Garcia switches lines. "Hotch, did you get him?"

"No. Have you heard from Emily?" he asks in concern.

"Uh, no. Why?"

"Shit. We were wrong. It was either number 2, 3 or 5. Prentiss is gone but her phone and purse are here and she's not at the hotel."

Garcia frowns. "Oh…oh, crap! Um, which phone is there?"

Hotch looks at the device on the table. "Her black one," he answers.

Garcia starts to type. "That means her iPhone is probably in her pocket. Yes! It's…wow…it's 13 miles outside of town. Sending coordinates to your phones now, sir. Oh, and, uh, JJ is on my other line."

Hotch groans. "Do what you think is best, Garcia."

Garcia nods. "Yes, sir."

Garcia switches back to JJ. "Jayje?"

"I'm here. Was that Em?"

Garcia crosses her fingers to counteract the lie she is about to tell. "Nope. Hotch. They are swamped right now. They need me to run a couple more searches. Want to hang on the line with me?"

JJ shakes her head. "No, I probably better get some sleep. But if you talk to Em, tell her to call me. I don't care what time."

Garcia nods. "Of course. I love you, Jen."

JJ smiles. "Love you, t-wait…why did you call me 'Jen'?"

Garcia blushes. "Um…what?"

"Son of a bitch…Garcia, the fucking team has taken to calling me Jen or Jennifer when something bad is going on. Did you all think I hadn't picked up on that shit? What the hell is going on, Penelope?"

Garcia tries to think up a believable lie or even half-truth but can't. She finally gives up. "Emily is sort of missing."

"_Sort of_ missing? What the hell is _sort of_ missing?"

Garcia moans and tells JJ everything she knows. JJ is pacing in agitation.

"Shit, shit, double shit, fuck," JJ mutters. "Garcia, who the fuck has her and what is he going to do to her?"

"I'm typing now to see who in our suspect tree has anything to do with the coordinates where Emily is located. As to what he's going to do…I don't know."

"What the fuck did he do to get the team called in?" JJ pushes.

Garcia bites her lip a moment before answering. "Do you really want to know?"

"Penelope," JJ says warningly.

"Shit, Jayje," Garcia mutters.

She tells her best friend about the other victims. By the end, JJ is almost hyperventilating. Her mind is running wild with images of what Emily could be like after the monster is done with her. She knows her wife will do everything she can to protect their daughter, even if it means setting herself up to go through a half-assed lobotomy.

"OH!" Garcia exclaims. "Jayje, hold on I have info for Hotch and the team."

Before JJ can respond, Garcia puts her on hold.

"HOTCH! It was number 2, Leonard Ryan! His father owns a small hunting cabin that matches the coordinates where Emily's phone is!"

Hotch nods. "Got it. Good work, Garcia. Oh, and, JJ?"

"Told her everything. We'll be waiting."

"Understood. Be in touch as soon as possible," he promises.

Garcia switches back to JJ and tells her what's going on. Now all they can do is wait.

* * *

Leonard Ryan had cuffed Emily's hands behind her back as soon as they reached his vehicle. He forces her into the backseat.

"Lay down so no one sees you. Do anything funny and it's bye-bye baby."

Emily shivers. There is nothing she can do but obey him if she wants to protect her daughter.

"_I love you, Rocky. No matter what happens to me, know I love you so much,"_ she thinks to her baby.

She feels the phone in her pocket vibrate once more. It gives her comfort. They would track it as soon as they could. Her daughter and Adelaide Wilkie would be saved even if she, herself, wasn't. She just had to stay alive for Rocky no matter what that meant.

After about 30 minutes, she feels the car turn off the paved road onto a dirt road. She shivers again, wondering just how hard she will be to find. Ryan stops the car and Emily hears the sound of a gate swinging open. He drives the car through then closes the gate once more. A few minutes later he stops and turns off the car. He smiles over the backseat at Emily.

"We're home, honey. Time for the fun to begin."

Emily shudders at what he considers fun. He drags her out of the car and pushes her towards the house. Inside, she hears the sounds of a woman crying. He pushes Emily towards the back of the house. She glances into two rooms as she passes them. One is a bedroom, the other is a bathroom.

The last room along the hallway could double as a set for a horror film.

Adelaide is chained to the wall. Cuts and bruises adorn her naked body but Emily sees she has not yet been subjected to a lobotomy. Ryan lets Emily and Wilkie stare at each other a moment before pushing Emily into the room.

"Good news, Adelaide. Agent Prentiss is here to take your place in my little house of fun, isn't that right, Agent?"

Emily swallows twice before her voice will work. "Yes, that's right. You're going to be okay now, Adelaide."

Ryan pushes Emily over to another wall. As they get closer, Emily can't stop the whimper that comes out of her mouth at the sight of a collar on a chain. Ryan grins maliciously as he holds her against the wall and locks the collar in place. He then bends down and secures Emily in the ankle shackles she hadn't noticed. As he stands he runs his hands up the outside of her legs. He leans in close and whispers in her ear.

"I've never fucked a pregnant chick before. This will be fun."

Emily fights back the tears that threaten to fall. He just drinks in her fear like a fine wine. He turns and walks over to Adelaide. He runs his hand gently over her cheek.

"Shouldn't you thank the nice agent for offering to take your place?"

Adelaide is visibly shaking. She looks to Emily, who gives her a brave, encouraging nod. The woman finally speaks, her voice raspy from screaming in pain.

"Th—thank…you."

Ryan smiles. "Good girl. I promised Agent Prentiss you would live if she came with me." He grins evilly. "I never said what condition you would live in." He grabs her neck and slams her against the wall, his grin replaced by an evil sneer. "Time for some _real_fun."

He moves to a dresser on the wall across from Emily. She sees him lift up a sharp-pointed metal shaft…just like the doctors had suggested was used on the first 3 victims.

"NO! You said she'd be okay! You PROMISED!"

He laughs at Emily. "No, I said she would starve to death if you didn't come with me. I never said I wouldn't scramble her brains before freeing her."

He lifts up a mallet and starts back towards Wilkie. Emily is struggling to get her hands free even though she knows it's impossible. As she moves, her phone falls from her pocket. When it hits the ground, Ryan stops and turns, staring at it. He raises his eyes slowly to meet Emily's. He sneers at her.

"You BITCH! You're a bigger liar than even my whore of a mother! Maybe it's your brains I should scramble! Then I'll let you give birth to that brat and raise it as my own! How does _that_ sound!"

He stomps towards her. She is still fighting against her chains when she hears a heavenly sound.

"LEONARD RYAN! DROP IT AND PUT YOUR HANDS UP!"

Ryan turns and glares at Aaron Hotchner. The unit chief's gun is leveled at Ryan's heart. A moment later, Reid and Rossi enter the room, their guns also trained on the man. All 3 agents see the thought in his head as if it is on a marquee.

As Ryan turns to shove his ice pick into Emily's face, they fire, their bullets driving him to Emily's left, the pick falling harmlessly to the floor at her feet.

Hotch races over to the man and kicks away the mallet and pick. He checks the man's pulse and holsters his gun.

"Clear."

He stands and uses his cuff key to undo Emily's hands. She throws her arms around his neck as sobs wrack her body. Rossi and Reid get Adelaide out of her chains as the lead detective calls for an ambulance.

"You're okay, Emily. Everything will be okay," Hotch whispers to the terrified agent.

He continues to whisper words of comfort to Emily as Rossi walks over and unlocks Emily's shackles and collar. Once she is free, Hotch turns and leads her out of the room. When they get to the SUV, he helps her sit down in the back cargo area.

"Are you hurt?" he asks.

She shakes her head. "N—no. But…blood pressure…bad…"

He nods. "I imagine it is."

She slowly looks up and meets his eyes. "This was it, Hotch. No more cases out of the office."

He nods. "Agreed. Emily, I am so sorry."

She shrugs. "Not your fault. I thought we were right, too, until he walked in." She swallows. "He was going to kill Rocky and let Wilkie starve to death. I had to go with him. I knew Garcia could track my iPhone. I knew you all wouldn't let me down."

He smiles. "Good thinking. Just sorry you had to do it." He hands her his own phone. "JJ knows. You need to call her. She's on with Garcia."

"Shit…oh, fuck, Jen…" Emily quickly calls Garcia as Hotch steps away to give her some privacy. "Pen? Is she still on with you?" Emily asks as the analyst answers.

"EMILY! Oh, God! Yes, hold on!" Garcia conferences in JJ. "Jayje! Em!"

"EMILY?" JJ screams.

"I'm here, Jen. I'm okay. So is Rocky." Emily bursts into tears again. "We're okay, baby. I swear."

JJ slides down the wall in the living room of her temporary home. "God, Em…I was so fucking scared. This day has really, really sucked."

Emily manages a chuckle. "Yeah…yeah it has. I love you, Jen."

"I love you, too, Emily."

* * *

**A/N: Tee hee hee...now I guess you all know why I suddenly had the team all calling JJ "Jen" or "Jennifer" when things got emotional. It was all leading up to her figuring out something was up with Emily. I am such a stinker! :o)**


	12. Chapter 12

Despite not getting in until nearly 10 on Friday night, Emily wakes up early Saturday morning. Francesca had offered to stay the weekend but Emily had encouraged the nanny to go to Delaware for a wedding. Emily walks into Henry's room, smiling as he babbles and plays with his teddy bear.

"Hi, Champ," she says to him.

He sits up excitedly. "Mama!"

She lifts him up, letting a Henry Hug ease some of the leftover fear from the day before. As she walks him to the changing table she sees his bag on the floor.

"What is-oh…that's right, Daddy's coming, isn't he?"

Henry claps joyfully. Emily forces a smile to her face as she changes him. Suddenly the thought of being alone in that big house for the next few days chills Emily. Putting on a brave face for her son, she takes him downstairs for breakfast. She checks the calendar and sees Will be getting there around 10. Emily smiles at her son.

"Daddy will be here in about 3 hours, Champ. Think that will be enough time to settle your old Mama's mind?"

He smiles at her. "Mama love!"

She grins, his happiness helping her heart. "Love you, too, Henry."

When Will arrives just before 10, he immediately sees how haunted Emily's eyes are.

"Hey, Em. Everything okay?"

She manages a smile. "Bad case. Just…kind of lingering."

He stares at her a minute. "You know, I may not be a profiler but I know when a suspect is lying to me."

Emily sighs. "Damn…thought I was doing better." She tells him what happened. By the time she is done, he is shaking his head. "But I'm fine, Will, really."

"Your blood pressure?"

"Better this morning. I think it's just…with Jen gone…this house just seems too damn big today."

Will places a hand on her shoulder. "Look, I had no big plans with Henry. Just maybe the zoo or something. What if we just stay here with you?"

Emily smiles at him. "Will, you need some time alone with Henry. He needs that, too. That's a sweet offer but I couldn't ask you to do that." She shrugs. "I'll send Jen and Morgan a note in a bit to set up a time to Skype with them. And I have laundry to get done. I'll be okay. Really."

Will stares at her a minute. "Say the word, Emily, and we'll be back. I don't care what time. Promise me."

She nods. "I promise. Thank you."

Ten minutes later Emily is waving as Will and Henry head off until Monday. She steps back into the house and closes the door. Alaska sits staring up at her expectantly. She smiles at him.

"Guess it's just you, me, Rocky and Sergio. Remind me again why we bought such a big ass house?"

The dog just tilts his head…and then runs off after Sergio. Emily chuckles and rubs her stomach.

"Well, Rocky, maybe it's just you and me."

* * *

A little while later Emily has just put one load of wash in the dryer and a second load in the washer when she hears footsteps upstairs. Mild panic hits her until she reminds herself the doors were locked and the alarm on. It had to be someone with access to the house. Thinking perhaps Will had forgotten something, she starts towards the stairs.

"EMSTER! Where in the world are you hiding out in Chateau Prentiss?" Garcia calls.

Emily smiles and starts up the stairs. "I'm in the wine cellar counting bottles," she jokes.

Garcia's smiling face appears at the top of the staircase. "Geez, help yourself to one little bottle while house sitting and the owner thinks you sneak over every time she's out of town." Emily just raises an amused eyebrow. "Okay, so I did sneak over once. Geez."

Emily laughs as she steps out into the kitchen. She sees Kevin putting a couple trays of food down.

"Um, not that I'm upset to see you but what are you two doing here?"

"Getting things ready for the cook out," Garcia tells her as if it's common knowledge.

Emily frowns and glances at the calendar. Nothing is noted for this day. "Uh, what cook out?"

"The 'Emily Is All Alone In Her House So We Are Having a Cook Out' cook out," Garcia explains.

Emily turns to Kevin. "Um, translation?"

Kevin smiles. "Will called. He was worried about you. So, Penny called everyone and they are on their way here for a cook out. Hotch will grill burgers and we picked up a few things at the grocery store." He shrugs. "Something tells me all of you could use this to get past this last case and, well, because of JJ and Morgan."

Emily smiles at the two techs, tears in her eyes. "You never cease to amaze me, Pen. Thank you both."

Garcia smiles and winks. "No problem, Em. I promised Jayje and Morgan both I'd take care of you. Just keeping my word."

Within 45 minutes Jack and Hotch have arrived. Jack is excited about playing in the swimming pool so Emily dons her suit while Hotch makes sure the grill is in working order. Rossi soon arrives, one of his signature pasta dishes ready to go in the oven. Before long everyone is in the pool laughing and playing volleyball. Kevin has just popped out to fetch the ball when Emily's phone alerts to a text message. Emily tells him to check it and they are all glad he does.

"Hey! JJ and Morgan want to Skype in 30 minutes!" He says happily.

They all get out of the pool. Kevin and Garcia hook up Emily's laptop to the TV in the living room and they all gather around waiting for their far off friends to log in. Exactly 30 minutes after the text, JJ's image lights up the screen. She laughs as she sees everyone gathered.

"Wow! Glad this wasn't an obscene Skype," she jokes.

Emily chuckles. "Oh, did I forget to mention I had company?"

Garcia nudges Emily's shoulder. "Not her fault, Jayje, we kind of surprised her."

JJ smiles. "I'm glad. I was kind of worried about her being alone after…well…you know."

Reid puts his arm around Emily's shoulder. "We were, too, but don't tell her that."

Everyone chuckles. Morgan eases up behind JJ. "Hello, BAU!"

"Hi, Morgan. Nice look," Rossi notes, seeing the bruising on Morgan's face.

Morgan grins. "Better than the alternative. Trust me."

For the next hour everyone talks and laughs with their overseas friends. Finally JJ looks down at her watch.

"I hate to say this, guys, but I actually have to work overnight tonight."

Emily frowns. "Overnight? Doing what?"

JJ and Morgan exchange a look. "Um…traveling. Mack and I have to head up to Kandahar. They are flying us in at night to make us less of a target to insurgents."

"Wow…absolutely nothing warm and fuzzy about that thought," Garcia states.

"Yeah, I know. I love you all so much. Thank you for watching out for Em and Rocky. I really, really appreciate it."

Hotch nods. "Not a problem." He looks at the others. "Think we should go get the food going?"

Everyone nods and walks out to give Emily and JJ a few minutes alone. Emily moves closer to the camera.

"I'd say be careful but I'm pretty sure you know to do that."

JJ grins. "Yeah, I do. Em, you know they do everything they can to keep us safe. I swear they do."

Emily nods. "I know. Doesn't…doesn't make it much easier."

"Yeah…I know," JJ says quietly. "But, this is 2 weeks down and only 7 to go, right?"

Emily forces a smile to her face. "Right. And you always know where I'll be now since I won't be on the road with the team any more."

JJ smiles and nods. "You don't know how much of a relief that is to me."

Emily grins. "I think I know." JJ glances at her watch again. "You…you have to go, right?"

JJ nods reluctantly. "Yeah. God, Emily, I love you so much. You and Rocky and Henry are my world. I can't wait to see you again in person."

Emily smiles, tears in her eyes. "Back atcha, Mrs. Prentiss. I love you, sweetheart. Be safe."

"You, too. Love you, Em. Bye."

"Night, baby."

They stare at each other a moment, brown eyes studying her wife, memorizing her once more. Blue eyes trace the stress on her wife's face, wishing she were not the cause. Finally JJ grudgingly turns off her computer. Emily sits there a moment longer, staring at the dark screen.

"I miss you, Jennifer," she whispers.

She takes a moment to compose herself then joins the others in the kitchen to get things fixed for their cook out. Despite her fear for JJ, and the lingering fear of what might have been in Colorado, Emily manages to have a fun day with everyone.

That night she lies in bed, Alaska curled up by her side, Sergio asleep on JJ's pillow.

"Seven more weeks, guys," she says to the animals. "How the hell can I make it seven more weeks when my heart is in Afghanistan?"


	13. Chapter 13

JJ and Mack had been in the Kandahar region for 4 days now. They had gathered some good intel and were worried their success could keep them there longer. It was not a pleasant place to be. Constant firefights, continual stress from not knowing friend from enemy, and the imminent threat of attack. As JJ collapses down in a chair, she can't help but think Emily's blood pressure would be through the roof if she knew about the close calls they had experienced.

Mack drops down beside her and hands her a bottle of water. "She was lying, wasn't she?"

JJ nods. "Yep. But I'm not quite sure about what."

The two agents sit there a moment, each pondering the actions of a woman who had come in that morning. The lady swears she has information on an imminent attack in Kabul but nothing she says is striking the experienced agents as truthful. As JJ finishes her bottle of water, she looks at Mack.

"Ask her about her son."

Mack frowns in confusion. "Her son? What son?"

"Ask her how her son died." She shrugs. "Just a hunch."

Mack stares at the determined blonde a moment before nodding. "Yeah…I think I see where you're going with that."

Five minutes later JJ is standing behind Mack in the office they are using to question the Afghan woman. Mack starts out with a few questions about the story they had been fed so far. When she leans forward on the table, JJ knows the question is coming.

_"How did your son die?"_ Mack asks

The woman's eyes widen and her carotid artery starts to pulse. JJ fights back a grin. They had her.

"_My son is not dead,"_the woman insists.

JJ taps Mack on the shoulder, code for the woman lying. Mack raises an eyebrow. _"He is dead. And you being here is about revenge, not help. So tell us what we really need to know or plan to spend the foreseeable future in one of our detention centers."_

The woman glares at Mack then smiles evilly. _"A lot of us came in today. A lot of you are here to question us."_ She glances at the clock in the room. _"I'm ready to receive my eternal reward. Are you?"_

JJ races out of the room, Mack close on her heels. She runs up to the office commander.

"We need to get out of here. NOW!" JJ tells him.

He stares at her. "Why?"

"An attack is coming. We need to get people out of here."

He shakes his head. "Look, I know the brass thinks you two know what you're talking about but-"

His words cut off as they hear screaming from the street. JJ turns and sees Mack running towards the front doors. The brunette turns, fear in her eyes.

"BOMBER!"

The commander runs to the door and out. He yells for his men to stop the madman racing at the building. In a rain of gun fire, the man is taken down. Mack sighs in relief.

"Thank God."

JJ slowly shakes her head. "No…no way…too easy. Where there is one there are two."

Mack looks at her to argue but JJ is staring beyond her to the man standing just outside the door. JJ grabs the NCIS agent and throws her to the floor as the man detonates himself, leveling the front of the building.

* * *

Friday afternoon, Morgan puts his feet up on the coffee table in the common room. He looks at Tony.

"I could almost get used to work around here."

Tony raises an eyebrow. "Are you fucking serious?"

Morgan grins. "Well, it's better here than in the shithole we were in last week. And it's a hell of a lot better than where Jayje and Brewster are."

Tony chuckles. "Yeah, I can give you that." He looks over at the box sitting on the kitchen table. "Think JJ would be pissed if we opened her care package? We could tell her it was opened by the mailroom."

Morgan chuckles. "She's a profiler, man. She'll know you're lying before you even start speaking."

Tony laughs. "True. How is it we've all been here nearly two weeks and she's getting her second gift from home and we haven't gotten anything?"

Morgan shrugs. "Maybe ours are just lost in the mail."

"Maybe." Tony grins. "Or maybe lesbians are nicer than straight women."

Morgan laughs. "Yeah, let's go with that one."

Before they can say anything more the front door opens. They see Mack limp in followed by JJ, who is on crutches. Morgan leaps to his feet.

"What the hell happened to you two?"

Mack just stares, her eyes dull. "Suicide bomber. Right in front of our building. Took the front half off the place."

"Oh, shit," mutters Tony. "You were inside?"

JJ hobbles over and drops down into the recliner. "We were in the fucking middle of it."

She lays her head back, her eyes closed.

* * *

Thursday afternoon…

As the shaking and rumbling stops, JJ and Mack are coughing as smoke and building dust clogs their nose and throats. JJ is lying on top of the other agent, her head on Mack's stomach, and something is on JJ's legs. She tries to move but it's no use. She finally gets her face tucked into her shirt and is able to breath in some filtered if stuffy air.

"Mack? You with me?" she asks.

Mack nods, her face also tucked away. "Yeah. Can you get up?"

"No. Something is on my legs."

Mack eases up a bit and looks over JJ's shoulder. She cringes as she sees the body of their interpreter on JJ's legs, a large section of the roof pinning him down. He is obviously dead.

"Shit," Mack mutters. "I'm going to try to get out from under you. Maybe then you'll be able to get your legs free."

JJ just nods. Mack starts to worm her way backwards, shoving debris out of her way as best she can. Finally she is free. JJ can tell she has more room to move and starts to pull herself forward. She cries out in pain.

"FUCK! Oh, God…Mack…my foot. Something is wrong."

"Fuck," Mack says as she scrambles over JJ. "Sorry, my friend," she whispers to the dead man as she pushes him out of the way. She now sees JJ's foot is caught between what's left of a desk and a large beam from the ceiling. She can see blood on JJ's pant leg but doesn't know if it's hers or the interpreters.

"Hang on a second, Jen. I need to find a way to get you unwedged."

JJ just nods. "Not like I plan to go anywhere, Mack."

Mack finds a 2x4 and shoves it between the ceiling beam and the floor. She kicks a large piece of debris under it to make a lever.

"Okay, on three I'm going to try to lift up some of this ceiling. Pull your foot out."

"Right."

Mack readies herself. "One. Two. THREE!"

She pushes down with all her might. JJ feels the pressure on her leg ease some and starts to crawl forward. She is nearly clear when the 2x4 breaks and the ceiling beam crashes back down.

"OWW! OH FUCK!" she screams as it lands on her ankle.

"FUCK!" Mack screams. She looks around and finds another 2x4. "Okay, Jennifer. One. Two. THREE!"

She pushes down again. JJ manages to crawl the rest of the way out. She pulls herself over to lean up against the wall. Mack drops the 2x4 and falls to her knees. She is about to move to help JJ out when she hears moaning. She stands and sees a soldier half under some rubble. She moves to him and starts to get him free. She then hears laughter.

"_Goodbye, Agent."_

She slowly stands and sees the woman she and JJ had been interrogating standing 15 feet away. In the woman's hands is a gun she had obviously taken from a dead or wounded soldier. Mack's eyes close as she hears a shot. She stands for a second then slowly opens her eyes. She sees the woman on the ground…dead, a bullet hole in the center of her forehead. She turns and sees JJ sitting against the wall, her handgun still smoking.

"Nice shot," Mack breathes.

JJ just nods, her gun still at the ready in case any other insurgents come in.

* * *

Friday afternoon…

"Took them 4 hours to get to us," JJ finishes the story she and Mack had took turns telling. "Mack gave first aid to the other 4 people in that room with us. Only loss in there was our interpreter."

Morgan and Tony shake their heads. They had thought being near an IED was bad. Mack leans forward.

"One good thing did come out of it all, though."

"What the hell good could come out of that?" Tony asks incredulously.

Mack chuckles humorlessly. "Andrade decided JJ and I should not be in Kandahar longer than 2 days. They believe the building was targeted because we were in there."

"And not just because we're agents but because we're female," JJ points out.

Morgan shakes his head. "Damn. I am just so glad you are both okay."

Tony nods. "Me, too."

Mack stands. "I think it's unanimous. I'm going to shower."

She heads into the other room. Morgan goes to the table and gets JJ's gift box.

"I know you probably feel like crap but maybe this will make you smile a little."

She takes it and does smile as she sees the package is from Declan and Tom. She pulls out her pocket knife and quickly opens it. She finds chocolates, cookies and other goodies from Germany inside. She tosses the guys each a candy bar. Tony smiles at her as he opens his.

"Any chance I can get one of your care package senders to adopt me?"

JJ manages a tired chuckle. "Probably not. But I promise to share…most stuff."


	14. Chapter 14

Hotch, Rossi and Reid had left for a case on Thursday morning. Emily had worked late to make sure they had as much information as she and Garcia could get for them. On Friday she had stayed late again helping them refine their profile and search out potential suspects as best she could from Quantico.

It is just after 10 as she walks into Henry's room. She smiles at him and strokes his soft hair. He is curled up with his teddy bear, his little feet crossed at the ankles as he sleeps on his back. She leans over and kisses his forehead.

"I love you, Henry. Sleep well, son."

She strokes his hair once more then heads to her own room. She chuckles as she sees Alaska stretched out on the bed, Sergio curled up against his stomach. She snaps a picture and texts it to her wife.

_"See, baby, peace really IS possible,"_ She captions it.

A few minutes later she gets a text back. "_Do you have time to Skype? Now?"_

Emily frowns. Her stomach turns. Intuition tells her something is up. _"Yes, honey. Let me get my laptop turned on."_

Emily gets her computer and moves to the recliner in the room. Sitting her weary body down she gets it up and running and opens a link for JJ. A second later her wife's face is staring back at her. Emily can't help but gasp at the haggard look on her love's face.

"Oh, Jennifer…baby…"

JJ forces a smile to her face. "Guess you can tell it's been a rough few days."

"Yeah. You're still the most beautiful woman I have ever seen but what's haunting those eyes of yours, sweetheart?"

JJ bursts into tears at the honesty and love behind her wife's words. "Oh, Em…it's just…it was bad."

JJ tells Emily what had happened. By the end both women are crying. Emily strokes a hand down the screen.

"Oh, Jen…please…let me make a call. I beg you, baby," Emily pleads.

JJ slowly shakes her head. "No. I…I won't let them win. If they chase me away those fuckers win. I can't, Em."

"FUCK! Jen, you could have been KILLED!" Emily hollers.

"But I wasn't. Emily…I can't leave. I just can't. Maybe that makes me an asshole, I don't know but I'm not going to let them chase me out of here when I _know_ I am doing something positive to end this fucking war."

Emily stares at her wife. Part of her wants to ignore JJ's words and call Elizabeth anyway. But a larger part knows that she has to trust JJ would admit if she needed to be pulled out.

"I love you, Jennifer."

JJ smiles. "I love you, too, Emily. Please say you won't call your mother."

Emily takes a ragged breath. "I won't. But so help me if you get your ass killed I will figure out a way to resurrect you just so I can kick your ass."

JJ chuckles, her eyes actually showing a bit of familiar spark. "You know…I believe you would."

"Damn right I would, Mrs. Prentiss."

"How's Henry?"

"Cranky. He misses you and lately the CD hasn't been calming him. Francesca said he had just fallen asleep before I got home tonight. And that was after 10."

"Oh, my poor boy."

"Think you will be available for a Skype tomorrow around his bedtime? I'm not sure if I'll be home but Francesca can get things set up for you to tell him a story."

JJ nods. "Yes! I'm home all weekend to give my bruised ankle time to heal. Uh, why might you be gone?"

"Guys are on a case in East Hartford. I'll be in the office tomorrow with Garcia helping them as much as I can from this end."

"Oh, okay. How's Rocky doing?"

Emily smiles and rubs her stomach. "She's getting _very_active. And she's got the fish thing going again."

"Really?"

Emily holds up the can of sardines that was in her pocket. "Really. My before bed snack."

JJ laughs. "No offense, sweetheart, but some things I just don't miss about home."

Emily chuckles. "No offense taken."

"Can I see her?"

Emily smiles and sets the laptop on the table beside the chair. She works her way out of the chair and stands sideways, lifting her shirt so JJ can see their daughter. JJ sighs.

"God, I wish I was there. I miss feeling her kick," she says sadly.

"She misses you, too. And I think Alaska would rather you get kicked than him."

JJ chuckles and asks for a rundown on how the furry kids are doing. Emily sits back down and tells her everything she wants to know. The longer they had talked the more JJ had seemed to calm and center. Emily was relieved to see it. Knowing the conversation was nearing an end, Emily sighs.

"You look better than you did a few minutes ago."

JJ smiles and nods. "I feel better. You…you can settle me with just a few words. You always could. I think that was how I knew I was falling in love with you. No one had ever been able to do that for me before you."

Emily smiles. "I'm glad I can help. I can tell my blood pressure is down just for having spoken with you. I was worried I wouldn't sleep well tonight. Now I know I will."

"I'm glad, baby." JJ wipes the tear that slips down her cheek. "I guess I need to let you get some sleep…and eat some sardines."

Emily grins. "Yeah, I guess so. Thank you for telling me, Jen. It means…means a lot that you didn't try to hide it from me."

"I needed to tell you. I needed your comfort and reassurance. Maybe I'm selfish but I had to tell you."

"It's not selfish to need me. Never. I love you, Jennifer Andrea Jareau Prentiss. Sickness and in health and all the other vows."

JJ smiles. "I love you, too, Emily Elizabeth Prentiss. Now and always."

"Te amo, Jen."

Emily blows a kiss to her wife. JJ smiles and does the same as she disconnects the call. Emily sits in the recliner a moment, staring out the window. Yes, her blood pressure had evened out a bit but it was still pretty high. She rubs her stomach.

"I'm sorry my emotions are all over the place, Rocky. I just miss your mother so much it hurts. It just physically hurts."

She sets the computer and sardines aside. She quickly changes into a Pitt tee and flannel sleep pants, things that remind her of her wife. She crawls into bed, the two animals cuddling closer to her as if sensing her need for comfort.

"Six more weeks, guys. Six more weeks," she tells them.

And with one hand curled into Alaska's fluffy coat and her other hand scratching Sergio, Emily eventually slips off to sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

The guys had returned to Quantico on Monday, having solved the case on Sunday afternoon. Just after 9, Hotch calls Emily into his office.

"I just wanted to touch base with you and see how you are doing?" he tells her.

Emily sighs and rolls her eyes. "As good as I can be, I guess. I hated not being out there to help you but I know I would have been a nervous wreck after what happened last time. I hope I was able to help you all a little while keeping the inboxes down a bit here."

Hotch smiles. "As always, your input on our case was invaluable. You may not have been there physically but your hand is on that resolution."

Emily nods. "Thanks, Hotch." She takes a deep breath. "You talked to Andrade, didn't you. You know what happened…what could have happened." These are statements, not questions.

He nods. "Yes, I did. Is she okay?"

Emily chuckles humorlessly. "Now there's a loaded question." She thinks a minute. "She's…she's Jennifer. She is determined to do the job, do it right, and not send some sucker off to do it for her even if…if it gets her killed."

"I take it she cautioned you against making a call or two?"

Emily nods. "Oh, yeah. Came damn close to ignoring her wishes, too. I figured even if she hated me she'd at least be alive. But it wouldn't just kill our relationship, it would kill her spirit, too. I can't do that to her no matter what it could do to me if she…you know."

Hotch nods understandingly. "I know. Well, let me say I am beyond impressed at the way you are handling all this. I know it is far from easy. If you need any time, let me know."

"Actually, I do need a little time this afternoon." She grins wryly. "You probably won't be surprised to hear my blood pressure has been through the roof the past week or so." Hotch grins and shakes his head. Emily sits forward. "Hotch…she may put me on bed rest. I can…I _need_to work from home if she does. I can't just…just do nothing. I'll lose my mind."

Hotch slowly nods. "We'll take it one step at a time. If she does, we can definitely work out something for you."

"Thank you," she says sincerely.

"But, Emily, promise me if she tells you no working you'll listen? For Rocky and for JJ."

Emily stares at her chief a minute then nods. "You play dirty, Aaron Hotchner."

He grins and raises an eyebrow. "How do you think I got to be chief?"

She chuckles and heads back out to her desk.

* * *

Dr. Kendle Manton stares at the papers in front of her. She lifts her eyes to Emily's, who rolls hers.

"I know…not good."

"This is beyond not good, Emily." She leans forward on the desk. "I can't even imagine what it is like to have your wife in a place like Afghanistan doing what Jennifer is doing. Add in the scare you had in Colorado a couple of weeks ago and things are at a point where we need to consider what's best for Rocky. And at this time, I think bed rest is what's best for her."

Emily sighs and nods. "I sort of figured that was coming. I'm ready for it…I think. I mean, as much as I can be. I already spoke to my boss and he can arrange for me to work some from home so I—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…work from home? Are you serious?"

Emily sits forward. "If I don't work I'll lose my mind. I can't just…sit around waiting for Rocky to be born, waiting for word on Jen, waiting for Jen to come home. If all I have time to do is think I will drive myself crazy and my blood pressure will be through the roof. LOOK at that chart! When I am working, my bp is better. Please, Dr. Manton," Emily begs.

Kendle sits back in her chair. Once again she is reminded that Emily Prentiss is the most difficult patient she has ever had to deal with. Emily stares at her a minute, then grins.

"Remembering how difficult I am, aren't you?"

Kendle starts to laugh. "Yes…yes, I am." She runs her hands down her face. "Okay…you can work from home BUT under the same restrictions as you had on the road: high bp, you rest; extremely high, you stop resting and get here or to the ER."

Emily nods. "Done. No problem," she agrees.

"Good. Now, how soon does Jennifer get home?"

"Six weeks," Emily says, nervously rubbing her stomach.

Kendle nods. "And you're due in 10 if you go to term." She sighs. "Emily, with your blood pressure issues, you need to realize you could go early or, if things get too bad, I could induce you before term if it looks like Rocky is in trouble. I am going to do everything in my power to see that you make it to full term or at least make it until Jen comes home. But you need to do your part, too."

Emily nods. "I will. I swear."

"Good. I'm going to give you a menu to follow. It will help your blood pressure and help keep Rocky inside you as long as possible."

"Okay. Um, does the diet include anchovies and sardines?"

Kendle laughs, knowing about the strange cravings Emily has had all pregnancy. "They will be fine supplements when Rocky needs them."

"Good. She gets cranky if she doesn't get them," Emily admits with a grin.

Kendle chuckles. She hands Emily a copy of the diet she had worked up for her. Emily scans it and sees it doesn't look too bad. Kendle then prints out and signs the bed rest order for Emily to give to Hotch.

"Are there any more questions for me at this time?"

Emily shakes her head. "Nope, don't think so. Oh, uh, just to make sure, you did email Jen the sonogram, right?"

Kendle nods. "Of course. I hope it gives her something to smile about over there."

Emily smiles. "Me, too." She stands as Kendle does. "Thanks, Doc. I really, really appreciate everything you've done for us and what you have put up with."

Kendle nods. "My pleasure. I'll see you in 2 weeks unless you need me sooner."

Emily nods confidently. "Two weeks, Doc. No sooner. Promise."

Kendle nods as Emily heads out of the office. In her car, Emily sits for a second. She glances at her watch and decides to just go home. She can go into work long enough tomorrow to give Hotch the doctor's note and settle things on her desk enough to start working from home.

Today…she just wanted to spend time with Henry. Working may help keep her bp down but he is by far her best balm when the numbers spike high.


	16. Chapter 16

For a week JJ had looked at the sonogram video anytime she felt herself going crazy. And every time it had settled her. Now in her 5th week of Hell on Earth she knows she is past the hump and on the downhill side of her tour. As she stares at the man Tony and Mack are questioning, she knows she will be watching the video again soon. She glances at Morgan.

"They are getting good. Mack and Tony are both seeing the signs of lies without our help."

Morgan nods. "Yep." He looks at JJ. "What do you say we offer to teach a course for future agents? We can prepare them before they leave."

JJ nods. "Not a bad idea. Open it up to FBI and NCIS agents." She grins evilly. "The CIA fucks can fend for themselves."

Morgan laughs. "I second that," he agrees.

Both had been furious to find out the CIA had been aware of a possible hit to the building in Kandahar. That it had nearly killed an FBI and NCIS agent had put the CIA in the hot seat back home. And it had made these four agents less likely to work with them in the future. They sure as hell don't trust them any farther than they can throw them.

As Tony walks out of the interview room, the agents look over at him.

"He's not going to admit to anything," Tony mutters. "We had him, his fucking stash of weapons, and fucking plans to make a vest bomb. But he thinks we're stupid enough to believe he had no idea any of that was in his home? Son of a bitch."

JJ leans against the wall. "Look, he's done with us. Send him to Guantanamo. If he doesn't give us anything useful he at least won't be a threat in the future."

Tony nods and heads back into the interview room. He taps Mack on the shoulder and she follows him back out.

"Guantanamo?" She asks.

Morgan nods. "Yep. Let him lie to someone else for a while."

The four agents let the commander know their final decision and head out for the day. As they near the base JJ's face lights up when she sees some kids playing soccer with some soldiers. Morgan chuckles.

"Well, guys, I think we've lost Jareau for the night."

Mack frowns. "What? Why?"

He nods as JJ wanders over to the game, completely forgetting about her 3 teammates. This was something she knew. This was familiar. This was…home. The 3 agents stop and watch as JJ gets into the game. They are impressed with the skill she shows when wearing combat boots, not to mention body armor. She does a few ball tricks and gets the kids and soldiers clapping and hollering. Soon she is immersed in the game, laughing and playing with the kids. Morgan smiles, happy to see her somewhat relaxed.

Mack is practically drooling. JJ is athletic and fit, that was obvious every night when she changes into her pajamas or when she is working out. But now, with her face happy, her eyes glowing, she is stunning. Who cares that her body is covered with bulky armor? Mack's imagination is putting together an image that is making her wet between the legs.

Unfortunately…she had come to respect JJ over the last 5 weeks.

"Shit," she mutters.

She turns and makes her way back through the checkpoint and onto the base. The last thing she needed was more reasons to have wet dreams about Jennifer Prentiss.

* * *

The next day the team is doing some paperwork when an explosion rattles their building. Once it stops, they go back to work. Scarily…it is just another explosion to them.

But then a soldier runs in and sees his captain. "SIR! They bombed the school!"

"SHIT!" the captain yells. He grabs his phone to order medical aid for the children they know will be hurt.

The four agents drop what they are doing and race out to see if they can help in any way. Normally, they would just let the soldiers and Marines deal with things. But the fact that kids are hurt makes them want to help.

When they get on scene they find chaos. Civilians and soldiers alike are pulling the injured through holes in the walls. People are screaming, children are crying, and there is the overwhelming fear that a second bomb would be going off soon. They always happen in two's.

JJ and Mack race to the building, accepting the body of a limp child from a local who has climbed into the rubble. JJ gets him in her arms and hustles away from the building, trying to see where triage has been set up. She looks up and down the street several times before finally seeing an Army medic working on a boy. She races in his direction.

"Here! He's unconscious!"

She sets the boy down without waiting for a response and runs back towards the building. Smoke is choking her as she makes her way to a hole in the wall.

"IS THERE ANYONE IN HERE?" she screams into it. She waits a second and yells again. Anyone in there may not understand English but they would at least know where they could go to escape their crumbled school.

Satisfied that no one is at that hole, JJ moves to another one. This time she sees a hand waving out of it.

"OVER HERE! I NEED HELP!" she yells.

She runs forward and takes the hand. "I GOT YOU!"

She uses her free hand to pull some of the debris away. As she clears enough to get the small child out, two more hands appear beside her. Mack helps JJ lift the first child out, followed by a second. The kids are passed off to locals who run them to the triage area. JJ leans into the hole, using her flashlight to confirm there is no one else on the other side.

She and Mack move to the next hole. And then the next. And finally the last one on that wall. They pull two more children out. As JJ checks this hole with her flashlight, her eyes fall on the face of a young boy…one of the children she had played soccer with the day before. His eyes stare lifelessly at the ceiling.

"No….no, no, NO!"

JJ starts to climb into the hole but Mack grabs her. "NO! JENNIFER STOP!"

"HE'S HURT! I HAVE TO GET TO HIM!"

Mack pulls her away. She had seen the boy. "Jennifer…he's dead. You can't help him."

JJ looks at Mack as if she doesn't know the woman. She then shoves her away and starts into the hole again. "NO!"

"JJ! STOP!"

Morgan appears beside Mack and together they pull her away from the hole.

"MORGAN! There's a boy in there and—"

He grabs her by the shoulders as Mack holds her around the waist. "JJ! Stop…it's too late for him." He stares into her eyes. "Honey, it's too late."

He finally sees the resignation in her eyes. She stops fighting him and Mack. She glances back towards the hole.

"He…he was in the game yesterday," she whispers.

Morgan nods. "I think most of them were. And most of them got out. _You_got a lot of them out. There was nothing you could do for him. He was killed by the blast before we ever got here."

JJ slowly nods, knowing in her head that he was right. Her heart still wasn't too sure about things. As they start back towards the front of the building they hear automatic gunfire and drop to the ground. It ends with another explosion. After a minute, they get up and head back to the street.

The Marine's had stopped the second bomber, who had simply detonated harmlessly in the middle of the street. Once they see the medics have everything under control, they find Tony.

"Guess we…need to get back to paperwork," Mack says emotionlessly.

JJ takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "Fuck paperwork."

She turns and makes her way to the safety of their base. The other three agents exchange looks then follow her. They know there is no way they will get any more work done that day.

As she enters her hut, JJ starts to strip off her armor, letting it fall haphazardly to the ground. She goes to her personal phone and sends a text.

_"Skype. Now. Please. Hurry."_


	17. Chapter 17

When Emily's phone goes off in the middle of the night, she knows it can't be good. Seeing JJ's abrupt message, she hurries to her laptop and sees JJ is already waiting. She enters the Skype session, her heart leaping to her throat at the sight of her wife covered in soot, tear tracks on her face.

"Oh, Jennifer…"

"I need Henry. Please, Em. I need to see him. Please."

"Yes, baby. Of course. I'll be right back."

Emily scurries as fast as she can to Henry's room. She lifts up her sleeping son and carries him back to the bedroom, talking to him as she goes.

"Wake up, Champ. Mommy wants to see you. Come on, Henry. Wake up, buddy."

By the time she gets to the recliner he is rubbing his sleepy eyes. JJ bursts into tears when she sees him, her hand reaching out to touch her computer screen.

"Hey, Little Man. Oh, Mommy so needed to see you."

Henry chirps up, instantly fully awake. "MOMMY!" He frowns and looks at Emily. "Mommy stinky."

JJ chuckles through her tears as Emily smiles. "We'll forgive her this time, Champ."

Henry looks back at the screen. "Love Mommy!"

"I love you, too, Henry. I love you so much."

Henry starts to babble away. JJ soaks in every word, every giggle, every gesture he makes. This is why she is here. She is here to make sure the devastation and destruction she is witnessing never returns to U.S. soil. She is here for Henry and Rocky and Jack and all the other children who shouldn't have to go to school terrified they are going to be blown to kingdom come by a madman.

Emily studies her wife carefully. She sees Henry is calming her from whatever horrendous experience had her terrified and frantic. Finally Emily kisses his forehead.

"Think I can say a few words to Mommy, Champ?" Henry nods. "Thanks. How about you go climb into bed with Alaska and Sergio?"

Henry nods and toddles over to the bed, climbing up and cuddling with his puppy. Emily turns to look at JJ.

"You going to be okay? You look…better."

JJ takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "I feel better. Not…good but better."

"Want to talk about it?"

JJ shakes her head. "Not now. I will though. But not now. Thank you for getting him for me. I just had to see him; to know he was okay and that what I was doing was going to keep him safe."

Emily smiles. "He's okay. He misses you. We all do. But he is okay. And we are so proud of you, Jen. I keep telling him how you are making the world safe for him and Rocky and all the other kids in the world."

JJ smiles. "Yeah, that's what I had to remind myself, too."

"Well, if you ever need me to tell you, I will."

"Thank you." JJ looks at her watch. "Shit…it's almost 3 a.m. for you. You need to get back to sleep."

Emily grins. "It's about time for my pee break anyway. Oh…speaking of which I owe you $20."

JJ frowns. "You do? Why?"

"Had a conference call today with Hotch and the budget committee. I sneezed and, well, let's just say it's a good thing I am working from home."

JJ bursts out laughing, the bet they had made at the start of Emily's pregnancy coming back to her. "Ah! Right! Well, I'll make sure to collect in 4 and a half weeks."

Emily smiles. "Deal, Mrs. Prentiss."

"I love you, Emily. Thank you for…for everything."

Emily nods. "No need to thank me, Jen. I love you, too. Anything you need, anytime of day."

JJ nods. "I know. Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight, baby."

Emily turns off the session. She looks to the bed and sees Henry is asleep, cuddled up to Alaska's back. She smiles, takes a trip to the restroom, then climbs into bed. She lies on JJ's side of the bed, her hand resting on Henry to make sure the boy stays safely between her and Alaska for the rest of the night. She gives him a kiss on the head.

"I love you, Henry. So very, very much."

* * *

In Afghanistan, the team had not gotten much done the rest of the day. That night, JJ turns in early, just needing to be alone with her thoughts. It is almost 2:30 in the morning when she shoots up in bed, just barely able to stifle the scream threatening to erupt. She still makes enough noise to wake Mack.

"Jen! Easy, honey," Mack says, sitting on the side of JJ's bed.

JJ stares at the wall, her mind still focused on the dream image in her head. "I…I didn't…they were…Henry and Emily and Rocky…"

Mack pulls her into a hug. "It was just a dream. Just a very bad dream."

JJ starts to cry, sobs wracking her body. Mack eases her back down, lying down with her and holding her close. It is not a pass, it is not sexual. It is one friend comforting another.

"Everyone is okay, Je—JJ. They are safe and they are okay."

Suddenly Mack realizes she can't call JJ Jennifer. She can't make a pass at her. She can't try to seduce her. Mack has come to respect her and her relationship to Emily and Henry.

_"I've been such a fucking ass,"_ Mack thinks to herself. _"There are plenty of ways to best Emily Prentiss. Bedding JJ isn't one of them."_

JJ finally falls back to sleep, wrapped in the comfort of Mack's arms.

* * *

When JJ wakes the next morning, she forgets for a moment where she is. She snuggles backwards into the comfort of her wife's embrace. But then her eyes flutter open and she sees the drab wall just a few inches from her face. Her eyes widen and she leaps up in bed.

"MACK! WHAT THE HELL?"

Mack falls off the side of the bed. She raises her hands to JJ in surrender. "Easy, JJ! Nothing happened. You had a nightmare. I just…just comforted you and I guess we fell asleep. I swear, nothing but friendship happened."

JJ stares at her a minute as the memories of the dream come back to her. She relaxes, blushing. "Oh. Right. Sorry."

Mack shakes her head. "No problem. I've been an ass. What else were you to think? But I promise you, JJ, that's over. I won't do anything to you or to Emily to hurt your relationship. I swear."

JJ studies her and sees no deception. "I believe you." She tilts her head to the side. "You called me JJ, not Jennifer."

Mack smiles. "Your wife calls you Jennifer. I noticed everyone else calls you JJ. Well, unless there's emotional shit going on, then they slip and call you by your full name."

JJ chuckles. "Yeah, that's been a recent thing. I'm trying to fix that since it makes me nervous the second I hear it. I don't need the added stress."

Mack chuckles. "I bet not." She slowly stands. "So, uh, truce?" she extends her hand.

JJ takes it and smiles. "Truce. And thanks for last night, Mack."

Mack nods. "Anytime. Just…make sure Emily doesn't kill me when you tell her."

JJ chuckles. "Deal."


	18. Chapter 18

JJ finishes jumping rope and tosses it down on the ground. As she moves to the nearby bench for a drink and her towel, Morgan sits down beside her.

"You ready to talk about it yet?" he asks.

JJ looks away, staring off into the tent city nearby. "Talk about what?"

"Whatever it is that makes guilt flash across your eyes whenever you look at pictures of your wife and son."

JJ flops back on the bench. "That obvious?"

Morgan nods. "Maybe not to others but how long have I known you?"

JJ smiles. "It seems like forever." She takes a drink and then stares at the dirt. "I…I had a nightmare last week. The night of the school bombing."

Morgan nods. "Not surprising."

"I dreamt Emily, Henry and Rocky were in there and they…they didn't make it out. I couldn't even find them in the rubble but I knew they were there."

"Oh, Jayje…"

"Yeah. Anyway…I woke up nearly screaming. Mack held me as I cried and…and we fell asleep together." She looks up at Morgan. "I woke up in her arms and for a second I was in Emily's arms. I snuggled in to her and…and it felt good, Morgan. When I completely woke up I realized where I was and who I was with. I…I feel like shit, Morgan, but I swear nothing happened other than me getting the best sleep I have had since we got here."

Morgan sighs. "I kind of thought it was something like that. You swear she didn't try anything?"

"I swear. That's when she started calling me JJ instead of Jennifer. Somehow her suddenly respecting me and my marriage makes me feel worse."

Morgan nods. "I can believe that. Jennifer—"

"Morgan…I was not joking when I said I would pummel you if you didn't stop that shit," she warns.

Morgan chuckles. "Right. Sorry. JJ, my guess is Emily is going to be glad you got a good night's sleep, especially after what happened that day. But my advice to you is don't tell her until you get home. Don't make her wonder if Mack's just playing you. She can't see Mack, can't see she's changed."

"But then aren't I lying to her? A lie of omission is still a lie, right?"

"Not always." He takes her hand. "What do you think her knowing is going to do for her? My guess is it will not help her blood pressure. But if she can look into your eyes, in person, and see the truth she will be okay. She might even have to thank Mack and that will bug the crap out of her." JJ chuckles. "Don't tell her, Jayje. For Rocky."

JJ slowly nods. "Okay. But if she gets pissed I'm sending her after you."

Morgan laughs. "Deal, Blondie."

JJ squeezes his hand in thanks then gets up to finish her workout. Forty five minutes later she is grabbing her backpack as she and Tony prepare to head out on a 2 day mission to a nearby town. She sighs as she flashes back to that first out of town mission. Nothing bad had happened on her next 2 missions but she knows anything could happen. She sends a text from her personal phone before she leaves.

_"Heading out for 2 days with Tony. I will let you know when we get back. I love you, Emily. Give Henry a hug and Rocky a pat for me. Scratch Sergio and Alaska. Give Francesca a hug. Talk to you soon, baby. I love you all so much."_

* * *

The caravan of Humvees is about an hour away from their base camp when someone screams:

"ROCKET!"

JJ grabs Tony's hand as the first and last vehicles are decimated by RPG's. They scramble out of their Humvee and into a ditch, knowing their handguns will be next to useless against Soviet AK's and rocket propelled grenades. In the ditch with them is the radio man. He is screaming for air support as the battle wages around them.

JJ is looking towards the burning last vehicle when she sees someone not in a military uniform come around the end of it, machine gun at the ready. She didn't even know her gun was in her hand until she fired, three shots center mass, killing the insurgent.

"Fucking nice, Agent," the radio man says. "Air support is inbound. If I say run, run. Got it?" He tells Tony and JJ. The agents nod. "Good."

JJ looks over at Tony. She sees he has also pulled his gun. He appears to be praying though it is too loud to hear what he is saying. She studies his lips and realizes he is saying the names of his daughters over and over again. She swallows and looks back towards the burning Humvee in case another fighter uses its smoke and fire to cover an attack. She hears Tony fire but doesn't bother to look at what.

"FUCKING A! KICK SOME ASS, BOYS!" the radio man yells.

JJ has no idea what he's talking about until the Apache helicopters start to rain fire down upon the insurgents in the nearby hills. Rockets and guns fire with abandon until no more bullets are coming at the stalled convoy.

The radio man stands up and looks at the lieutenant in charge. "Pilots say hills are clear. They will escort us back."

The lieutenant nods. He looks at Tony and JJ. "Get in. Let's get the hell back to base."

Tony and JJ nod. They stand and make their way back to their vehicle. JJ stops and looks at the two burning. She then turns to the lieutenant.

"What about…them?" she asks, wondering about the men who had died inside.

The lieutenant sighs. "They'll be retrieved soon. Our job is to get you two back to base safely. So get the fuck in the truck, Agent. I'm not real happy about leaving my boys behind to save your fucking ass."

JJ stares at him. "I'm not real happy about it either, Lieutenant. So _kiss_my 'fucking ass'."

She climbs inside. The radio operator looks at his lieutenant. "She saved my ass, sir. Insurgent came around the last Hummer. She killed him before I even knew he was there."

The lieutenant looks from his corporal to the insurgent on the ground by the burning wreck and back again.

"Yeah well…maybe she actually earned her ride back then. Get your ass inside."

The corporal nods. "Yes, sir."

Tony and JJ had both secretly hoped the ambush had meant they wouldn't have to go on the two day excursion. Unfortunately, it just meant they would go by helicopter instead. JJ looks at Tony and rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, because they can't shoot us down with RPG's, right?"

He manages a smile. "Right." He runs his thumb over his wedding band. "Week 6, JJ. The end is in sight."

"Yeah," JJ agrees. "And hopefully we'll get home in one piece at least physically."

Tony nods. "Yeah. I…I hate to say it but I'll probably need a shrink after this shit."

"Nothing wrong with admitting that. I see one that specializes in PTSD outside the FBI's list of shrinks. She's good. I'll give you her number."

"Thanks. I believe I'll take you up on that," Tony admits.


	19. Chapter 19

Emily is sorting a list of words on the board in her work office at home. She shakes her head.

"Reid, I'm telling you, there is something not right about this."

Her speaker phone delivers an indignant Reid back to her. "What else could it be, Emily? The cipher would have to be something the unsub knows. We just have to figure out the meaning behind the words."

"I get that, Reid. But in this case, I don't think there is a meaning behind these words. I worked on them the entire time you all were in the air yesterday and I've hit them again today. There just doesn't seem to be a way they could link together. I think they are a false clue."

"For them to be a false clue, the unsub would have to know we would be called in," Reid points out.

"Or he wanted the police to be so concerned with these words they would focus on him being some sort of serial crackpot that we deal with instead of being just a guy out looking to kill a family. That would still mean a level of sophistication over a run of the mill psycho but not someone on par with, say, Charles Manson."

At a small police station in Grants, New Mexico, Reid stares at his own board of words. He had tried to come up with a book cipher, tried a binary cipher and was now pondering an antonym cipher for the words that were found tacked to five members of a family. The father was tacked with "map", the mother with "board", the oldest daughter with "home", the son with "calendar", and the youngest daughter with "uniform". The unsub had not pierced their body with these notes but simply safety pinned them to their shirts like a mother would pin a message to a teacher on a young child.

"Maybe the guy is a teacher?" Reid suggests.

"And the words would mean what to him?"

"Well…with the exception of 'home' these are all things you would find in a classroom."

"But you would only find a uniform in a private school," Emily points out.

"So a private school teacher then," Reid pushes.

Emily stares at the words and shakes her head. "I'm just not feeling it, Reid. I think they are a red herring."

Reid stares at the words. He hates that he is starting to agree with Emily. Not that he doesn't like to agree with her but because it means the clue that brought the team out there is not really a clue at all.

"Of course, if they really aren't a clue, that's a good clue in itself," Emily notes, as if reading Reid's mind. "He wants to throw off the police."

Reid's eyes widen. "Oh my God…or he wants the police to call in help."

Emily's stomach trips. "Oh, hell…where did Hotch and Rossi go?"

"A storage unit. Cops on scene found a key at the house. Looked like it had been dropped but it didn't trace back to the family."

"CALL THEM!"

Reid hangs up and quickly calls Hotch.

"HOTCH! It's a trap!"

Hotch grabs Dave's hand as the man starts to put the key in the lock.

"What do you mean, Reid?"

"The words, the key, it was to throw the cops off. It was to draw in help, not specifically from us but from somewhere. It's the only thing that makes sense."

Hotch starts to back away from the unit as he eyes it suspiciously. Rossi backs up with him.

"You're sure about this?"

"Emily and I both think so, Hotch."

"Okay. Tell the sheriff we need bomb sniffing dogs down here. If he can't get them call Straus and have her get the military to send someone."

"On it." Reid hangs up.

Rossi looks at Hotch. "Bomb sniffing dogs?"

Hotch explains what the two geeks had come up with. Rossi stares at the unit and nods. "I think I agree. Or maybe I just don't want to risk getting blown to smithereens."

Hotch chuckles. "I'm with you there."

Three hours later a bomb sniffing dog has alerted on the building. A SWAT team from Albuquerque has stepped in to help. One man carefully cuts a hole in the metal garage door of the unit and inserts a fiber optic camera. At the command vehicle, Rossi lets out a low whistle as he and Hotch watch a small TV screen. The SWAT commander looks at them.

"My guess is that's enough explosive to have leveled this entire damn storage facility."

The small unit is packed with barrels wired together with the leads attached to the door. By the time the bomb squad finishes disarming the elaborate, huge device they find out the SWAT commander had been kind in his estimate. It would have destroyed the storage facility and the businesses on either side of it.

While that was unfolding on scene, Garcia and Emily had been weeding through information on the owner of that unit and others in the facility. The owner of the bomb-laden unit turns out not to exist. But the man that had owned the one 2 units over, who had conveniently emptied his unit the day the family was killed, had been sending threats to the FBI, IRS, CIA and any other agency he felt had wronged him. Emily calls Reid.

"Reid, Garcia is sending you all the information now on a possible suspect. And Reid…he hates all the alphabet agencies."

"Great. Best hope he's the right one or we'll feed into his hatred."

Emily nods. "True. But since he bought 500 pounds of fertilizer and had it delivered last week I'd say he's a pretty viable suspect."

Reid nods. "That does tip the scale in his favor. I'll let you know what happens."

"Be safe."

"Always."

With the team now getting ready to move in on a suspect willing to blow up anyone to get his point across; a suspect willing to kill a whole family to help meet his objectives, all Emily can do is wait.

She really, really hates being on bed rest. She rubs her stomach. But she loves Rocky so she will suffer in silence for her daughter.

Four agonizing hours later, Reid calls her back.

"Suicide by cop," is all he says.

"Shit. But it _was_him, right?"

"Yeah. Since it's so late we're just going to stay tonight and head back tomorrow. Hotch is dealing with the press but wanted to say good job." A grin touches his voice. "And Rossi said we proved that two geeks are always better than one."

Emily chuckles. "Tell him thanks. Talk to you tomorrow."

Emily hangs up and gathers up the notes, photos and papers for this case. She starts to sort them but decides it could be done tomorrow. Right now she needed a Henry Hug.

* * *

As she gets downstairs Emily hears singing coming from the living room. Her heart swells with happiness as she hears her wife and son singing an Elmo song. She pokes her head in and sees the computer hooked up to the TV, making JJ nearly large as life. Henry is dancing and clapping as they sing the song. Well, mostly JJ sings as Henry just dances and cackles along with the tune.

Emily studies her wife's face. There is a bruise on her cheek, her eyes are a little duller than normal, and she looks exhausted. But she also looks happy and the reason for that is the nearly two foot tall dancing blonde a few feet in front of the TV. She stays in the background, giving them time together. When the song finally ends, Francesca claps.

"Yay Henry and Mommy! So pretty!"

Henry chuckles. Emily steps into the room, and into the camera shot. "That was great, Henry. I'm glad you taught Mommy that song."

He smiles and claps his hands. Emily smiles at her wife.

"Hi, sweetheart."

"Hi. How's the case?"

"Over. SBC."

JJ winces. Suicide by cop is never a good ending. "We take the shot?"

Emily shrugs. "Don't know but doubt it since Reid didn't say so. They'll be home tomorrow. Maybe by then I'll have my case file pulled together and my report written."

JJ grins. "Don't tell me you're getting lazy without me there to keep you on track with your paperwork."

Emily laughs. "Maybe I am. May I remind you that when you get back here in 2 and a half weeks that will no longer be your concern."

JJ's eyes widen. "Hey! You're right! Take your time then."

Emily looks at Henry. "I think your Mommy is trying to get me in trouble with Uncle Hotch. Not nice, Mommy."

Henry grins devilishly. "Love Mommy!"

JJ laughs. "That's my boy!"

Emily tickles him. "Just remember that when you want a lullaby tonight, mister!"

Francesca steps forward. "Henry, how about we go make Mama some dinner and tea?" Henry nods happily. "Say goodnight to Mommy."

"Nite, Mommy. Love Mommy!" He steps forward and kisses the TV screen.

"I love you, too, Little Man. Goodnight, Henry."

As the nanny and boy leave the room, Emily sits down on the coffee table and stares at her wife.

"The bruise, baby?" she asks.

JJ chuckles, an amused smile lighting up her face. "Sadly, I did it to myself."

Emily grins. "Really? How?"

"There was a guy lying to Tony. I wanted to warn him things were about to get heated. I ran around a corner and right into this…this lantern-type thing hanging on the wall. Not exactly my proudest moment."

Emily laughs. "I bet. And Tony?"

"Luckily he and Mack have been learning. He saw the change about the same time I did and ordered the Marines guarding the guy to secure him with cuffs. So he looked like a star and I looked like a doofus."

Emily chuckles. "Look at the bright side: those guys up on the frontlines need a good laugh every once in a while."

JJ rolls her eyes. "Gee…thanks." They stare at each other a moment. "Two and a half weeks, baby."

"I know. I cross of the days on 2 calendars every day: one in the kitchen and one in the office."

"Working from home still going okay?"

"Mostly. Sometimes Henry figures out I'm here and doesn't understand why I can't play with him or why he can't come into the bedroom. Hurts my heart."

JJ nods. "I bet."

Emily studies her wife a moment. "Jen, why do you look like…like you're carrying some sort of guilt?"

JJ looks away, popping her neck. "I should have known I couldn't keep it from you," she mumbles.

Emily tenses. "Keep what from me?" JJ bites her lip. "Jennifer?" Emily pushes.

"I…I had a nightmare after…after that school incident."

"Oh, sweetheart…"

"I…woke Mack with my scream and…and she came over to check on me. I swear to you, Emily, nothing happened," she stresses as she sees Emily stiffen. "Baby, I swear. But she…she held me as I cried and…and we fell asleep. For a few seconds as I was waking up I forgot where I was. I just…I felt arms around me and thought…" she wipes away a tear. "I thought it was you. I snuggled closer to you and then….I opened my eyes…I saw where I was and knew who actually had me. I threw her off the bed. I was so…so mad at her and at me and I was so damn confused."

"I'll kill her," Emily says through clenched teeth.

"No. NO! Baby, please, no. She didn't…didn't do anything wrong. She just…held me while I cried and we were exhausted so we fell asleep." JJ leans closer to the camera. "Honey, something changed for her that night. She started calling me JJ and has not said or done anything suggestive since. She promises to behave." JJ sighs. "Truth is she _did _behave. But I feel like crap about it because…because her arms comforted me when it should have been your arms. She shouldn't have made me feel safe. I feel so fucking guilty about this, Emily. Please…please don't hate me."

Emily stares at her wife, her heart breaking. "I don't hate you, Jennifer. And…and if she….she helped you that night then…then I owe her. I can't be there for you, Jen. It's killing me that I can't be. So if she helped you get some sleep after the horror of that day then…then so be it. I trust you, Jen. If…shit…if you need that…that kind of support again I understand."

JJ wipes her eyes. "Never again. No one but you, Emily. Ever."

"Jen, you're in a war zone and, well, sometimes people need more than a phone call or a face on a screen. I'm not saying sleep with her….well I am…but _just_ sleep! Hell…can I screw this up any more?"

JJ grins. "You didn't screw it up, honey. I know what you mean. Thank you for trusting me enough to say that."

Emily smiles. "I want you home safe both mentally and physically. Do what you have to do, Jen. I love you."

"I love you, too. I hate to say this but I'm about to drop."

Emily frowns. "Shouldn't your day just be starting?"

"Usually. But my latest 2 days out just ended. I wanted to call before hitting the rack."

"Ah, okay. Well, sweet dreams, honey."

"Only if they are about you, Em. I love you."

"Love you, too. Take care, baby."

"Night, honey."

Emily sighs as she turns off the computer. She rubs her stomach. "Two and a half weeks, Rocky." Suddenly Emily's eyes widen. "Which means six and a half weeks before I meet you in person. Oh, wow…"

With her mind on that thought, Emily heads into the kitchen to enjoy dinner with her son and Francesca.


	20. Chapter 20

JJ rubs her eyes and steps out of the interrogation room. The teams had been questioning the same man for 2 days now. He had been caught with a stash of weapons and maps showing Allied troop positions. So far nothing they have done has gotten him to admit anything. The CIA wants a crack at him and the FBI/NCIS agents were running out of ways to stall the inevitable.

Mack leans against the desk in their makeshift office. "Maybe Tony and Morgan will reach him this time."

JJ chuckles humorlessly. "Maybe. Doubt it, but maybe. I just…I hate having to give him over to the CIA. I…I hate what they will do to make him talk because he obviously is a big cog in the insurgents machine."

Mack nods. "Yeah. Look, I'm going to grab a bite. Want anything?"

JJ shakes her head. "Not right now. Thanks though."

Mack nods and heads out to the mess hall. JJ sits down at the desk and starts pouring over site reports once more to see if they missed anything that could convince their prisoner to talk. About ten minutes later there is a knock on the door behind her.

"What?" she answers gruffly.

The door eases open. "Agent Jareau? There is someone here to see you."

JJJ rolls her eyes. The CIA agents had been stopping in every couple of hours and she was getting pissed about it.

"Tell that asshole to go fuck himself."

"Well…always a lady, Jennifer."

JJ whips around and sees an amused Elizabeth Prentiss standing in the doorway. She leaps up.

"Elizabeth!"

JJ pulls her mother-in-law into a hug, happier than she knew she would be to see someone familiar. Elizabeth returns the strong hug. After a few minutes, JJ leans back frowning.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she asks.

The patrician woman smiles. "I'm part of an investigatory committee looking into—oh, hell, they were looking for volunteers and I jumped at the chance to come see you."

JJ's eyes well with tears. "Thank you," she chokes out. She hugs Elizabeth again. When it ends she looks the older woman up and down, smiling. "You look good in fatigues."

Elizabeth chuckles. "So do you. But I feel like a GI Joe doll. Our escorts were twice my size."

"How long are you here for?"

"Just two days then they fly us back to Bahrain and from there to Germany. I'll meet up with Gerald, Tom and Declan to fly back to the States. I plan to mostly work from there the next month or so while we await Rocky's appearance."

JJ grins. "So you're on the Rocky bandwagon now, too?"

Elizabeth chuckles and shrugs. "What can I say? It's grown on me."

"So is Tom for sure getting released this time?" JJ asks.

The man's treatments had taken longer than planned when he had an adverse reaction to the last round. It had only delayed his return to the U.S. by a week but it had really scared Declan. Gerald had immediately gone to Germany to be with the boy and help him understand all that was going on. He had been a comforting presence to Declan and Tom; and his care for them had touched Emily and JJ immensely.

Elizabeth nods. "Yes. Gerald called me just this morning to say all his blood counts were back in line with where they should be. He'll still have to take it easy for a few weeks so we've arranged for at home care for him. It took some doing, but we have all managed to convince Declan to attend his lacrosse camp with his teammates. We think it will help him start feeling safe and confident again."

JJ nods. "Definitely. Thank you so much for all you've done for them. They have both come to mean a lot to me and to Emily."

Elizabeth smiles. "I know. So, what time do you and Morgan finish here today?"

JJ sighs and leans back against the desk. "I don't know. I have a bad feeling if we don't get a lead from this guy soon we're going to be forced to turn him over to…to another group."

Elizabeth raises an eyebrow, the unasked question obvious in her face. JJ nods. "I see. Well, what if I order you two to be done by 6 so you can join us at a special dinner. My guess is it's better food than you normally get."

JJ chuckles. "Probably is. I think we can swing that. BDU's okay? I forgot my formal gowns," the blonde jokes.

Elizabeth grins. "Well, okay. And so you don't feel out of place, I'll wear mine, too."

JJ nods. "Deal." She stares at her mother-in-law a moment, seeing so many of Emily's features in the woman's face. "It is _really_ good to see you, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth hugs her again. "You, too, Jennifer. I have to go to a meeting now. I'll see you this evening." She hands JJ a pass that will allow her and 3 guests to attend the special dinner.

JJ nods. "I look forward to it."

* * *

That evening, the four agents make their way to the heavily protected event. Though almost everyone in there is in BDU's a few high ranking officers wear their dress uniforms and a few men are in suits. JJ scans the crowd but Morgan sees Elizabeth first.

"JJ, she's over there."

She looks where he's pointing and the agents make their way to their hostess. As if sensing them, Elizabeth turns from the major she is speaking with and smiles at the agents, though it falters a moment when she sees Mack. JJ and Morgan both notice but doubt the NCIS agents do.

"Hi, Elizabeth. You know Morgan, of course. But these are Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents Tony Davide and Mack Brewster. Guys, this is Ambassador Elizabeth Prentiss." Elizabeth shakes hands with each of them, her gaze lingering a moment on Mack. Ever the politician she just nods.

"Welcome, Agents. I've see the reports on your team and I am impressed with what you have learned and with the library of intelligence you've managed to create for future agents."

Tony smiles proudly. "Thank you, ma'am. Sometimes it feels like we're not accomplishing anything so it is great to know we are doing some good here."

Elizabeth smiles. "Please, call me Elizabeth. Now, why don't you all go get something to drink. They'll be calling us soon for dinner. You'll be at my table."

The agents nod as Elizabeth steps away to schmooze with someone else for a moment. As Morgan and JJ grab a beer, a luxury it seems reserved only for special guests, JJ smiles.

"She called the baby Rocky today."

Morgan laughs. "Seriously?" JJ nods. "Dang…maybe Emily was right."

JJ rolls her eyes. "She's not a pod person…probably." She sighs. "I don't think I ever really noticed how much Emily favors her."

Morgan nudges her arm sympathetically. "I don't think you've ever missed Emily so much before. Seeing Elizabeth is seeing part of your wife. Got to say…makes me happy, too. It's like…seeing a part of home," his voice clenches a bit as he finishes.

JJ nods and looks at him. "You're going to lose your 'tough guy' card if you get all sentimental on me."

Morgan grins. "I'll risk it. Over here things…things are different. I don't care about being tough. I care about being alive to tell my family and friends how much I love them."

JJ looks away, tears in her eyes. "Yeah…I get that way, too."

Across the way, Mack had been looking at some pictures on the walls of the room they are in. She senses someone staring at her and turns to see Elizabeth a few feet away.

"Uh, hi," she says nervously.

"I know who you are Mackenzie Cook Brewster. And I know the games you played against my daughter at Yale and I know your actions in Norfolk could have cost Emily, Jennifer and my granddaughter their lives."

Mack blushes. "Yes, ma'am, that's true. I can never apologize enough for that."

"I know," Elizabeth says, not accepting or denying the apology. She steps closer to the agent. "Your work here has been impeccable. But I am sure you are eager to get back home. Believe me when I say if you cause any more unnecessary stress to my daughter or her family you will find yourself with an assignment that makes this place look like the Ritz Monte Carlo. Do I make myself clear?"

Mack nods. "Yes, ma'am. And I swear…I've changed. I…I respect JJ's work ethic and her marriage to Emily. I will not do anything more to push Emily's buttons where JJ is concerned."

"Good. Then we understand each other. Come, let's eat."

The two women make their way into the dining area. JJ never knows the threat that has been made on behalf of her family.


	21. Chapter 21

Emily smiles as JJ appears on the screen. "Not that I'm upset but twice in 2 days? I'll get spoiled."

JJ smiles. "I have a surprise for you, honey."

Emily stiffens. "Please tell me you're coming home now instead of in 2 and a half weeks."

JJ's smile falters. "I wish, baby. I really, really do. Actually, we're all just getting back from one of those hoity-toity political dinners you hate so much."

"Ugh. I am so sorry, Jen," Emily groans.

JJ's smile lights up again. "I'm not. We were specially invited by one of those politicians."

Emily rolls her eyes. "Let me guess, some boring Senator or other stuffed shirt?"

"Emily, I have never, ever stuffed my shirt," Elizabeth says from off screen.

Emily's eyes widen. "MOTHER?"

JJ laughs as Elizabeth steps into the camera shot. "Now, once as a young girl I stuffed my bra but I was only 9 so it shouldn't be held against me."

Emily laughs. "I sooo didn't need to know that. What the hell are you doing there, Mother?"

"They asked for some volunteers to come over to check things out." She puts her arm around JJ. "I immediately jumped at the chance to come check on our Jennifer."

Emily smiles, tears in her eyes. "Thank you, Mom."

Elizabeth kisses JJ's temple. "No thanks needed. I was happy to do it. And I look rather smashing in my BDU's if I do say so myself."

JJ chuckles. "You look like a million bucks, Liz."

Emily grins and shakes her head. "How long are you there, Mother?"

"We leave in about an hour. I wasn't allowed to contact you until now for security reasons."

Emily nods. "I understand. Are you still planning on coming here with Dad, Tom and Declan?"

"Yes. I'll meet them in Germany tomorrow."

"Great. I can't wait for you to see the nursery."

"I can't wait either, honey. Well, let me leave you two alone for a couple of minutes. I love you, Emily."

"Love you, too, Mom." Emily smiles at her wife. "You look…look centered, Jen. Better."

JJ shrugs. "I feel better, Em. Just seeing her kind of settled me, much the way you do. I never really noticed how much you two look alike."

"Bite your tongue, woman," Emily teases.

JJ laughs. "Well, you do. And it…it just made me feel so good to see her. I can make it, Em. I can make these last 2 and a half weeks…well, really just 16 days now. I had started to worry I was about to crack. But Elizabeth being here helped me feel that I can make it."

"Then I'm glad she showed up, honey. I've been worried about the look in your eyes lately. I'm glad to see that old familiar spark back in them. Maybe not as bright as normal but I can see it."

JJ strokes a hand down the screen. "It won't be back until I'm in your arms holding Henry and counting down the days until Rocky's arrival. She is being good and not trying to escape early, right?"

Emily grins and nods. "Yep. But she's been on a major fish kick the past 5 days. Even Henry is avoiding me when he sees the sardine can in my hand."

JJ smiles and nods. "That's my boy!" She sighs, her eyes glancing at her watch. "I…I have to go, Em."

Emily nods. "I figured as much. Tell Mother thank you again."

"I will. I love you, Emily."

"I love you, too, Jennifer. Talk to you soon."

JJ just nods. As the screen goes dark, Emily sits back in the recliner. She looks out the window as the sun rises over the backyard. 16 days until her world returns to normal. 16 days until she can sleep without fearing a call in the middle of the night. 16 days until Jennifer is in her arms again. She rubs her stomach.

"We can make it, Rocky. I know we can."

* * *

Emily crosses the day before off the calendar. She has no sooner put the pen down then she hears the front door open.

"Anyone home?" Gerald calls out.

Emily laughs and waddles towards the hallway. "If not we're idiots for leaving the door unlocked," she answers.

"PA!" Henry screams and runs towards his grandfather.

Gerald smiles and scoops the boy up. "Hello, Henry. Si ottengono così grandi!"*

"Sì, egli è. Jennifer sarà sorpreso quando lo vede di persona," Emily agrees.**

Gerald leans over and gives his daughter a kiss on the cheek. "You're getting big, too, honey."

Emily laughs. "Gee, thanks, Dad. Just what a girl loves to hear."

She turns as Declan and Tom walk in the door. She grins at her old friend. He looks tired but happy.

"Tom…I am so happy you are doing so well," she says as she gives him a hug.

He leans back and stares into her eyes. "Thank you, Emily."

She shakes her head. "No thanks needed." She ruffles Declan's hair. "I seem to recall you being there for me during a rough patch. It was time I returned the favor."

Declan smiles and gives Emily a hug. "Thanks, Emily. For everything."

Emily kisses his head. "My pleasure, Dec. Thank you for…for just being you all those years ago. I owed you, too."

Declan grins. "Guess we're just a bunch of people who finally paid off our debt to each other. Now we can just be a family."

"Well said, Declan," Elizabeth praises him, coming in the door behind them. She gives Emily a hug and kiss on the cheek. "That's from me." She kisses Emily's other cheek. "That's from JJ." She gives her a sloppy, uncharacteristic kiss on the same cheek again. "And that's from Derek."

Emily bursts out laughing. "I'll kick his butt in 14 days."

Elizabeth giggles. "He said you'd say that. Is Francesca here?"

"She ran to the store for a few things. She should be back soon. She's looking forward to seeing you all. Come on, let's sit down."

Declan wants to see Alaska so he and Henry head out back to play with the growing puppy. As the adults move into the living room, Emily looks at Tom.

"Is he okay? Does he need anything? Someone to talk to? Anything at all?"

Tom smiles. "I don't think so. He's had rough patches here and there but the staff was great. They made sure he understood exactly what was happening no matter how many times they had to explain it. The onsite psychologist who worked with me talked to him a lot, also. I really think he's going to be okay. Especially with heading to lacrosse camp on Monday. His teammates have kept in touch with him all summer so that's helped, too."

"That's great," Emily says with relief. "Sounds like this facility was all it was cracked up to be."

"And more," Tom agrees. "The most important thing is my last scan showed me completely cancer free," he says happily.

"God, I am so glad to hear that," Emily states.

"Me, too. I have to do follow up blood work every four months for the next 2 years. After that if it still looks good it will be every 6 months. I have to be really careful during cold and flu season this year but since my position allows me to work from home I should be able to avoid all the sickos at the office most of the time."

Emily grins. "Yeah, that should be-"

Her words break off as she hears Henry crying. By the time she stands Declan is in the room holding Henry, who has a scraped and bleeding knee.

"Oh, Henry," Emily winces.

"Alaska accidently knocked him over," Declan explains.

"Ska bad!" Henry insists.

Emily smiles. "I'm sure he didn't mean it, Champ. Let's get you cleaned up."

"Sit, Emily, I'll take care of him," Elizabeth says.

Emily raises an eyebrow. "Mother, do you even know what Neosporin is?"

Elizabeth winks. "Nope. But I have a secret weapon that can help me figure it all out, right Declan?"

He grins. "Sure, Elizabeth."

The three head off to wash and bandage Henry's knee. Emily slowly turns and looks at her father and Tom.

"Grandmotherhood has been good for her."

Gerald chuckles. "You can say that again."

Twenty minutes later, the front door opens again, this time to admit Garcia and Kevin. The two greet Tom and Gerald before smiling at Emily.

"Operation Clean the Colter House is a success, Agent Prentiss."

"Operation what?" Tom asks.

Emily smiles at him. "Your house has been closed up for so long they offered to go dust, vacuum and air it out a bit."

"We used sanitizer approved by your doctors to clean everything and make it ready for you," Garcia adds. "We even got the spare room ready for the nurse who arrives tomorrow."

Tom shakes his head. "But…that's so much and…and it's…"

Garcia waves off his statement. "You're family now, Tom. Get used to us interfering…uh, I mean _helping_ whether you want us to or not," she says with a grin and a wink.

Tom laughs. "Right. I'll remember that. Thank you so much."

After dinner that night, Emily sits down beside her mother in the living room.

"I know you didn't have to go to Afghanistan, Mother. And I know the only reason you did was for Jennifer. Thank you so much."

Elizabeth pulls her daughter as close as Rocky will allow. "I was glad to do it, Emily."

"Her eyes had been so…so lifeless lately. I was really worried. You put a spark back in them and now I know she can make it the next 2 weeks."

Elizabeth nodded. "I knew she was off her game a bit when I first saw her. She wasn't exactly eager to have a visitor." She tells Emily about JJ's comment. Emily laughs.

"That's my girl! Always so sweet."

Elizabeth grins. "Right. Just what I was thinking."

Emily lays her head over on her mother's shoulder. "I feel so empty without her around, Mom."

Elizabeth kisses her forehead. "I know, sweetheart. I know."

* * *

**Per Babylon Translator:**

*** You are getting so big!**

**** Yes, he is. Jennifer will be so surprised when she sees him in person.**


	22. Chapter 22

"RUN! THIS WAY! THIS WAY! THIS WAY! FUCKING RUN!" the Marine screams at JJ and Mack.

The women don't need the encouragement. A routine trip to a "friendly" village has gone to hell. Insurgents had taken over the town the day before and had allowed the convoy to get to the center of town before opening fire. Though the insurgents had the element of surprise, the Marines and agents had more firepower and more manpower. But they had to get out of the middle of the street and into some cover.

"_God, please let some of the villagers still be on our side_," JJ silently prays as she follows the Marine to a crumbling house. Once inside, JJ and Mack pull their sidearms and clear the back room as the Marine takes a position by what's left of a window. Two more Marine's make their way to the same hut, one taking a position by the door, the other by the intact window on the other side of the door.

JJ steps back into the main room. "Clear."

The Marine looks at her. "Entry?"

She nods. "One window, one door," she replies, letting him know enemy and friend alike could come in through the back.

He looks at the man by the door and nods to him. That Marine heads back to help Mack watch those openings. JJ takes his place by the door. Gunfire echoes all over. She sees a man sneaking along the crumbling wall near the road. He lifts up his gun to fire blindly at her safe haven. She fires, shooting the gun out of his hands. The Marine behind her grins.

"Nice shot."

JJ just nods. _"12 days…12 days…stay alive for 12 more days, Jennifer Prentiss. That is a fucking order,"_ she coaches herself. _"2 of those days are travel days so really just 10 days. Ten days to-"_

Her thoughts are interrupted by bullets ripping up the wall right beside the door. She ducks back a moment to gauge where the shooter would be. The Marine at the full window fires.

"Down," he calls out, letting her know that threat is gone.

She eases back to the door again and her eyes get wide. "ROCKET!"

She and the two Marines race to the backroom. "ROCKET!" she yells at Mack and the other Marine. The five run out the back of the hut as it explodes behind them, knocking them to the ground. She feels someone grab the back of her jacket, pulling her to her feet.

"RUN! RUN! RUN!"

She follows the order, chasing after the Marine in front of her. They make it to another building and clamber inside.

There are two rooms in addition to the main room in this hut. Mack heads towards one as she goes to the other. As JJ steps through a bullet rips into her chest protector tossing her against the wall. She quickly regroups and fires as the butt of a rifle slams into her face.

Her world goes dark before she hits the ground.

* * *

Morgan reads the latest intel report and leaps to his feet. "SHIT! Tony, isn't this where JJ and Mack are headed?" He throws the report at the other agent.

"Where? OH! SHIT! YEAH!"

The two men race out to see the commander they have been working with. They show him the report.

"SON OF A FUCKING BITCH! I asked before they left if that God damned hell hole was still secure!"

He gets on the phone and orders the person on the other end to raise the Marines transporting the two agents. After a few minutes, and several creative cusses, he hangs up. He looks at the two agents.

"Marine radio operator got off one report they were under attack. Nothing has been heard from them since."

Morgan drops into a nearby chair. Tony paces nervously. The women had gone because an Afghani woman had been raped and wanted to make sure her attacker paid for his crime. She had been with the insurgents until that assault so they knew her intel would be vital and credible. But now the agents…their friends were missing in the middle of a firefight. All the could do now was wait…

…and pray.

* * *

Mack hears JJ's .45 fire and turns in time to see her go down. The agents' attacker comes running out of that room, blood streaming from his chest, trying to get his jammed gun to fire. Mack puts a bullet in his throat, ending his threat to them. She races to JJ's side. A deep gash mars the woman's cheek, her face already swelling from the vicious blow.

"Fuckin' a', Jareau! Don't you fucking die on me," she orders.

She checks JJ's pulse and is relieved to find it weak but there. She quickly checks her over and finds the facial wound seems to be her only open injury. The round to her chest probably bruised or broke ribs but hopefully that is all. Mack looks at the Marine in charge of guarding them.

"Out cold but otherwise okay," she tells him.

He just nods and goes back to watching out the window. Mack quickly clears the room JJ had barely entered. She shoves the dead man into that room and shuts the door, using an old dresser to brace it. She then takes up a position in the other room, which has a window. Every once in a while she glances back at JJ, who still hasn't moved.

"Air support!" one of the Marines says.

Mack listens to the now familiar sound of rockets being fired from helicopters. One of the Marines lifts JJ up in a fireman's carry. It was time to try to get to the prearranged rendezvous point for extraction.

They take fire the entire time they run for the helicopters. Mack wants to turn and fire, to take revenge on the men who caused JJ pain and injury. But their orders are clear: run so you don't endanger the Marines protecting your ass.

As more airships take out insurgents firing on the retreating group, Mack can only pray everyone makes it out okay. She watches as JJ's body is unceremoniously tossed onto the floor of the Sea Knight helicopter. She climbs in and the machine takes off. She latches herself in place and pulls JJ onto her lap.

"We're safe now, Jayje. We're safe. And in 10 days you'll be in your wife's arms so everything is going to be just fine. You hear me? Everything will be just fine."

Mack looks down at JJ, her eyes widening in fear at the frothy blood bubbling out of JJ's mouth. Mack can only pray for the helicopter to fly faster as she has no way to help the woman in her arms.

* * *

As the commander's phone rings, Morgan and Tony step up to the edge of his desk. After a few minutes and fewer words he hangs up. He looks at the two agents. Morgan is frustrated that he can't read the man's emotions.

"A Sea Knight is flying both agents back. Their escorts are staying behind to reclaim the town."

"And they are okay?" Morgan asks nervously.

The commander sighs. "One is, one isn't. Took a bullet to the chest and a rifle butt to the face. She'll be taken straight to the hospital once they land."

Tony and Morgan don't hear his next words as they are already out the door to make the drive across base to the medical facility.


	23. Chapter 23

Emily is in the Monday morning meeting via webinar. She has just finished discussing a case that was brought to her by Garcia on Friday when her personal cell rings. She glances at it as Reid starts to talk about a case that is troubling him.

"Oh my God…" Emily blurts.

Hotch looks to the computer screen and sees Emily is pale. "What's wrong, Prentiss?"

"9-1-1 from Morgan," she practically whispers.

The people in the round table room get quiet as Emily dials her best friend's number. They can see she is shaking slightly, knowing that 9-1-1 was only to be used if one of the agents was seriously hurt or missing. Emily wants to stand and pace but is worried her legs won't support her. Though it only rings twice it seems interminably long before Morgan answers.

"Emily! She's going to be okay," he says immediately.

"What the hell happened, Morgan?" she demands. She puts her phone on speaker so the others can hear.

Morgan quickly tells her what had happened on the mission that morning, Afghanistan time. Emily is furious that he had not called her sooner.

"WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU CALL ME?" she screams.

"Emily!" He says reproachfully. "Damn it, I needed to know what to tell you. I couldn't call you and scare the shit out of you without knowing more."

Emily takes a deep breath, trying to calm her racing pulse. She lets it out slowly. "Right. Of course. I'm sorry. So…what is…how is…is she…"

"She's going to be fine. Her cheek has 4 butterflies on it to close the cut. There is a lot of swelling so they couldn't stitch it. Her eye is swollen shut but seems to be fine." He sighs. "She has a contusion on her chest, similar to the warehouse hit she took. No cracked ribs but she did bruise her lung which caused some bleeding into her trachea. They have her on a ventilator to assist her with breathing until all the blood is drained otherwise she'd have called you herself. I've looked into her eyes, Emily, and she is okay just mad as hell."

Emily lifts a shaking hand to her face to wipe the tears. "Is…is she staying there or do they have to send her somewhere else?"

"For now she's staying here. If she can get cleared for duty she'll finish these last few days behind a desk. And before you explode, just know Jordan wants her to finish so Andrade and his boss don't try to send her back later to finish out her tour. She's done some damn great work over here but Jordan doesn't want to leave any window open to get her sent back."

Emily manages a grin. "Remind me to buy Jordan something pretty."

Morgan chuckles. "I will."

Emily swallows. "Morgan…will you be able to stay with her?"

Morgan takes a second to answer. "The Marines took back that village. Mack, Tony and I head there tomorrow to finish what JJ and Mack were supposed to do plus question any prisoners. I swear, Emily, if I could stay with her I would. I hate leaving her here alone."

"I know you do, Morgan. Thank you. Can you…you find someone willing to make sure I get a call as soon as she can talk? Or at least listen?"

Morgan smiles. "She can listen now. Hold on a second."

Emily listens, hearing the sounds of Morgan walking and a door opening.

"Hey, Blondie, got a hot brunette on the phone for you."

Emily can't help but chuckle. Those at Quantico exchange smiles, knowing Morgan is doing his best to be positive for the Prentiss women.

"Em? I'm putting the phone by her ear."

Emily waits a second then speaks. "Hi, baby. I heard you had a bad day." She stifles a sniffle. "I, um, shit…I love you, Jennifer. I love you so much. I'm so glad you'll be okay."

Morgan lifts the phone back up. "Em? She used sign language to say she loves you, too. Now the docs want her to rest. I'll stick around here tonight with her as long as I can and make sure someone helps her call you as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Morgan. Please stay safe tomorrow. I love you, too, you know?"

"I know. I love you, Em. I'll talk to you soon."

"Yeah. Take care, Derek."

Emily disconnects and slumps back in her seat. She had forgotten about the webinar so she jumps when Hotch speaks.

"I'd say your blood pressure is in the red zone, Emily." She looks at the screen and just nods. "Take the day if you need to."

She doesn't even have it in her to argue. She nods. "Thanks, Hotch. I'll call you if I work later."

He nods. "No worries if you can't. Take care of yourself and Rocky."

Emily smiles. "Always. Thanks, everyone, for…for just being there for me. For us."

"No problem, kid," Rossi responds as Garcia ends the webinar so Emily can get some rest.

Emily shuts down her computer and makes her way to the bed. She calls Francesca's cell phone to let her know what's happened and that she will be resting. She is not surprised when the nanny slips into the room 10 minutes later with the tea that helps Emily's blood pressure. Emily squeezes her hand.

"Thank you, Francesca. You really do go above and beyond."

Francesca leans over and kisses Emily's forehead. "I love you, cara. Rest now. I will come check on you when Henry lays down for his nap."

Emily just smiles and nods, letting the tea work its holistic magic.

* * *

Emily's blood pressure remains quite high the rest of the day so she spends it in bed. Henry comes in for a couple of hours and she tells him stories, sings to him, and even watches some Blue's Clues with him. Though she won't be completely settled until JJ calls, she does feel better by the end of the day.

It is no surprise to her at 5:30 when a blonde, pink and purple head pops into the bedroom. She smiles as Garcia steps on in after confirming Emily is awake. The analyst sits down on the side of the bed and takes Emily's hand.

"How are you?"

Emily shrugs. "Pressure is still up though not as bad as earlier. Not sure it will even out until Jen calls."

"Probably not." Garcia smiles. "Good thing I brought my go bag."

Emily frowns and looks at the calendar on the wall. "I thought this was Reid's night?"

"It is. But he got a little rattled today by the call. He asked to switch so he could go see a 'friend' about things."

Emily knows Garcia is saying he's going to a Narc-Anon meeting. She frowns. "Damn. I hope he knows he can come here if he needs to."

Garcia smiles. "He does. I told him we could have a Geek-A-Rific party if he comes down. He said he'd call if he decides to come play with us."

Emily smiles. "Good." Emily's head turns again, this time looking at the picture of her, JJ and Henry that sits beside the bed. "I fucking hate that she's there, Pen. I keep thinking that…that she's almost home to me and…and what if…"

"Don't go there, Em. You know it won't do any good to worry and speculate." She runs a hand through the brunette's hair. "She'll be back to us in less than 10 days now. And only over there less than 7. Maybe if Reid comes over we can figure out how to make Star Trek's transporters a reality and get her here even sooner."

Emily chuckles. "Want my list of 50 reasons they won't work or Reid's list of 100?"

Garcia laughs and raises a hand in a stop gesture. "Please, Emily, leave me to my fantasies."

The two chat about silliness a few more minutes before Emily insists on getting up to go eat dinner.

"I want to keep things as normal as possible for Henry. It's the least I can do for Jen."

Garcia smiles and pats her leg. "Oh, honey, it's one of many wonderful things you do for JJ. And in no way is it a 'least' kind of thing. It gives her comfort to no end to know how well you take care of your son."

Emily blushes. "Thanks, Pen. I think I needed to hear that."

They go downstairs so Henry can have dinner with his Mama and his Aunt Penny, delightfully oblivious to how close he had come to losing his Mommy.

* * *

Emily's personal cell rings just after 3 a.m. It is in her hand before it finishes the first ring. Garcia sits up beside her as Emily answers nervously.

"Hello?"

"Hi, baby," JJ says quietly.

"Oh, God! Jen, baby, are you okay?"

Emily hears Garcia's whispered "Oh, thank God."

"I'm okay, Em," JJ replies. "Well, bruised and sore but mostly okay. Would have called sooner but my throat needed to recover a bit before I could speak for any length of time. And, to be honest, I know it's the middle of the night there so I thought about waiting but I _really_ needed to hear your voice."

Emily wipes away the tears on her cheeks. "I needed to hear your voice, too."

"I did, too," Garcia chimes in as Emily chuckles.

JJ frowns. "Uh, Em, are you in bed?"

Emily grins. "Yep. And for tonight I have company in here. She'll let me cuddle with her but draws the line at making out."

JJ laughs. "Smart woman." She sighs. "I know she's just there to watch over you because of me. Tell her thank you."

"Tell her yourself, sweetheart. She needs to hear your voice, too." Emily hands Garcia the phone.

"Young lady, I will not speak to you for at least 5 minutes when you get home to punish you for scaring the bejeezus out of us today," Garcia states.

JJ chuckles. "Yeah, you threatened that before our honeymoon. Didn't happen then doubt it will happen this time."

Garcia laughs. "Maybe I've learned more self-control."

"Maybe. Doubt it, but maybe," JJ concedes with a grin.

Garcia gets serious. "I'm really, really glad you're okay, Jayje. And that you're not going to be sent out any more."

"Me, too. Just wish it didn't take this incident to keep me on base until I leave."

"Yeah, me, too. Well, let me give you back to Emily and Rocky. I love you, Jayje."

"Love you, too, Pen. And thanks for being there for her tonight. It means so much to me."

Garcia smiles. "Truly my pleasure. See ya."

Emily takes the phone back. "I don't want to keep you too long. I can hear your voice getting scratchy and I know it has to hurt."

"Yeah, a little."

"Jen, could you call Reid, too? He…he had…issues with this injury."

"Shit. Yeah, I'll call him when we get off here." She sighs. "I really don't want to stop speaking to you but I know you need sleep."

"Yeah, unfortunately I do. I love you so much, Jen. I can't wait to have you in my arms."

"Just a few more days, baby. Just a few more days. I love you so much. Kiss Henry and pat Rocky for me."

"You know I will. Talk to you soon, baby."

"Sleep well, honey."

Still refusing to say the word "goodbye" Emily disconnects the call. She sets the phone down and releases the tears she had been holding in for the entire call. Garcia pulls her close, whispering words of comfort, her own tears wetting her cheeks.


	24. Chapter 24

For five days Morgan, Mack and Tony had tried to get useful information out of the insurgents who were taken prisoner by the Marines. All they were able to do is confirm two of the men were from Germany, 1 was from Australia and 1 was from America. Those 4 soldiers of fortune knew they would eventually be returned to their homelands so there was no way to threaten them with time at Guantanamo Bay.

Morgan stares at the American and shakes his head. "How the fuck can you fire on fellow Americans? Explain it to me?"

The man smiles condescendingly. "If you have to ask, you will never understand. Allah is great; America is not." He punctuates his statement by spitting at Morgan's feet.

Worried he would hit the man, Morgan turns and walks out of the interrogation room. He looks at the MP's guarding the door.

"I'm done with him."

The MP's nod and head inside to lead the man back to his temporary holding cell. Morgan meets up with Tony and Mack in the commander's office.

"He won't say shit," Morgan states. "He's a zealot and he knows we can't do squat to him."

"Maybe we should give the CIA a crack at him," Mack mutters.

Morgan and Tony don't respond but both silently agree with her. Afghani insurgents were one thing. An American citizen turning on his own countrymen was another thing completely. Morgan looks at the commander.

"Anything else or can we get back to the Green Zone? We only have 3 days left over here and we need to get our reports in order for the next team."

The commander shrugs. "Can't think of anything else you all can do here. I'll call for a chopper to get you out of here."

Tony nods. "Thanks. Tell them if they get here fast I've got $10 bucks for them."

The commander actually chuckles as he makes the call. The three agents head outside to look at the occupied town. Street vendors sell multi-colored bolts of cloth, food, and other brick-a-brac. Kids play in the street. People are everywhere. Mack slowly shakes her head.

"The day we were ambushed none of these people were around. We should have suspected something."

Tony pats her shoulder. "Stop it with the second guessing. You'd never been here before so how were you to know this was their market square?"

Mack glares at him. "_Someone_should have known. We should have been told. Then maybe as soon as we saw it was cleared we could have pulled out before all hell broke loose. Then JJ wouldn't have been hurt and 2 Marines wouldn't have died, not to mention the ones that were injured. It's fucking bullshit that intelligence didn't give us what to look for as we entered town."

Morgan slowly looks at Mack. "Make sure you put that in your reports."

"What?" she asks angrily.

"What you said is right. Make sure it's in your reports for future agents to demand that kind of information. Last thing I want to do is see an agent on the wall," he tells her.

Mack slowly nods. "Yeah…yeah, I know what you mean."

Two hours later they are back at their home base. They head to the house to get cleaned up and changed after two days in the field. Though it is after 5 p.m. local time JJ is still not home. Morgan shakes his head.

"Damn overachiever."

Tony grins. "Yeah, because the rest of us are so good about packing it in on time."

Morgan laughs as he pulls out a coin. "Heads or tails?"

"Forget it. You shower first. I just want to kick my boots off and put my feet up for a while."

Morgan nods his thanks and makes his way to the bathroom. He smiles as he sees a package on his bed.

"My last care package," he whispers as he cuts it open.

He laughs as he pulls out coloring books, crayons, and children's crossword puzzle books. The note from Garcia says it all:

_Was worried you would be too tired to do much on the flight home. These shouldn't be too taxing for you…hopefully. Love you, my God of Chocolate Thunder!_

He chuckles and sets them aside. He'll leave them at the hospital for the children that are often treated by the US Military medical corps…just as he knows Garcia expects him to.

"Can't wait to see you, Baby Girl," he says as he kisses the note. He tosses the James Patterson books that were also in the package on the bed so he can pack them in his backpack for the flight home.

* * *

JJ shows up about an hour later. She sniffs a wonderful aroma as she walks in.

"Tony, I love when you cook!"

Tony laughs. "Not me this time, Jayje. It's all Mack's creation."

JJ stops and grins. "We've been here how long and she's finally letting us know she can cook?"

Mack walks out of the bedroom chuckling. "If I'd told you 8 weeks ago you'd have expected it more often."

JJ laughs and nods. "True."

Morgan hands JJ a Coke. "How has paperwork hell been?"

JJ shrugs and drops onto the couch. "Okay. Helped interrogate someone today. Guy gave us a lot of good information. His brother has shamed the family by joining with a nearby band insurgents. A team will head out tonight to crush that bit of resistance and bring back as many prisoners as possible."

Tony frowns. "Does that guy realize his brother could die?"

JJ nods. "Yeah. He…" she shakes her head. "He said it would be best for the family if his brother died rather than be branded a traitor. It's so…so black and white to him. I can't even imagine just writing off my brother that way."

Mack pats her shoulder as she walks by. "We've seen it's all a thought process beyond our comprehension over here. Terrorist or friendly with no fence sitters. A child could be your friend or your killer. It's just…it's going to be so hard to get back to normal after this."

The agents nod, each knowing they have been permanently changed by this experience. JJ slowly turns and looks at Morgan.

"It was hard to turn the 'profiler' off before. It might be near impossible now."

Morgan nods. "I worry about that, too. But I plan to rely on the love of my family, both blood and BAU, to get me back to who I was before. Hopefully better than I was before."

JJ nods. "Me, too. And you need to be the best you can be if you're going to be Rocky's godfather."

Morgan smiles. "I promise to be someone she'll be proud of."

JJ nods. "Good. Now, how long until dinner?"

Mack glances at her watch. "About 10 minutes."

"Good. I'm going to send a text to the love of my life to tell her I love her."

Mack nods. "Good plan."

Just as JJ walks into the bedroom an explosion rattles the house. She stumbles back into the common room, grabs her helmet and races out the front door. When the base is attacked all able hands are expected to respond to help in whatever way is needed. It had only happened twice before and all 4 agents can't help but pray they stay safe this close to going home. The other three agents quickly don their protective gear and follow JJ.

By the time they arrive at the site of the explosion, JJ is no where to be found. Gun fire sounds in the distance as soldiers chase after the attackers. The agents quickly help with triage of the injured as the fire brigade works on extinguishing the car that had exploded at the front gates, also catching the guard shack on fire.

For 3 hours they help as much as they can, doing whatever they need to do. Finally they each make their way to their pre-arranged meeting point. For the first time since she'd run out of the house, Morgan sees JJ. He grabs her and pulls her into a hug.

"Damn it, Blondie! You scared the crap out of me! Where the hell have you been?"

JJ shrugs. "Triaging, helping with a fire, triaging some more. Shit…I, uh…" she bursts into tears.

Morgan pulls her close. "Easy, Jayje. What happened, honey?"

"He…he died in…in my arms." Morgan winces at the thought. "He…fuck, Derek…he looked like Reid. All young and innocent with black-rimmed glasses. I fucking hate this place, Derek. I fucking hate it."

He kisses her temple. "I know, Jayje. I know."

Tony and Mack both pat JJ on the back, offering as much comfort as they can. All four had been through hell since they arrived. They look around at all the soldiers and Marines, many of whom have done multiple tours of up to a year each. Their respect for the men and women in uniform had continually increased since day 1. Though the agents leave the country, their thoughts and prayers will remain with those who protect our freedoms day in and day out in the Middle East.


	25. Chapter 25

Emily paces anxiously. She hears Henry getting cranky and turns to her mother-in-law, who is trying to comfort him.

"MAMA!" Henry keeps screaming.

Emily sighs. He is tired as this is his normal nap time. But there was no way JJ would have ever forgiven her for not having Henry at the airport. Emily takes a steadying breath and walks over.

"Come here, Champ," she says, holding her hands out to him.

He practically leaps into her arms. He wraps his arms around her neck and buries his face in the crook of her neck.

"I know you're tired, Little Man. But I promise I have a good reason for keeping you up right now."

She bounces him gently back and forth, soothing him as best she can. Sandy smiles.

"I notice you've yet to really tell him what's going on."

Emily grins. "I'd hate to say it and then her plane get delayed or something."

Sandy chuckles and rubs her stomach. "Ugh. I'm not sure I could handle it if that happens. I need to see her. I just…I need to see my baby."

Emily nods, smiling. "Trust me, I understand."

Once again, badges had gotten the group past security to meet the returning agents at the gate. Emily looks around to see Reid, Rossi and Morgan all pacing almost in step with each other. She grins. Over in seats, Alan plays pat-a-cake with Abby. Mark holds Shelby's hand as her foot rocks the carrier with baby Aidan inside. All are obviously as nervous as Emily and Sandy about JJ possibly getting delayed. Garcia walks up with a smile on her face.

"Their flight is still on time and Morgan's family's flight finally got off the ground in Chicago."

"Text them I will send a car for them," Emily tells her. Garcia nods and sends out the message.

"So, think your mother has gone overboard with the welcome home celebration?" Garcia asks.

Emily laughs. "Of course she has. Did you expect anything less?"

Garcia chuckles. "Not at all."

They pace a little longer until one of the airline gate agents comes over to tell them the plane is now on the ground. Emily accidently squeezes Henry too hard, waking the little boy.

"Mama bad!" he says grumpily.

She kisses his cheek. "I'm sorry, Champ. But do I have a surprise for you!"

He just grunts and puts his head back on her shoulder. Sandy chuckles.

"Want me to take him so you can hug your wife?"

Emily shakes her head. "We'll be fine. Something tells me he'll wake up and want to run to her once he hears her voice."

Sandy nods. "Hopefully."

After 5 minutes Emily has decided that the jet carrying her wife and best friend must have gotten lost on the way to the terminal. But a few minutes later the door to the tunnel opens and Emily stops her pacing, staring through the opening until the most beautiful woman in the world appears. She gets choked up.

"Henry…there's Mommy."

Henry's head snaps up. He looks around, his eyes getting wide.

"MOMMY!"

JJ bursts into tears. Henry struggles to get out of Emily's arms so she sets him down. He takes off as fast as his little legs will carry him. The gate agent turns a blind eye as he runs into the tunnel to get scooped up into JJ's arms.

"Hey, Little Man! Oh, I love you so much! I missed you so much!"

Morgan smiles, placing hand on JJ's shoulder to keep her moving so others can disembark, too. As she exits, she and her son are pulled into a hug by her wife.

"Jen," is all Emily can say.

JJ wraps an arm around her wife. "Oh, Emily."

The three stand there for a few minutes, just reveling at being in contact once more. Finally Emily leans back enough to give her wife a kiss.

"I love you, baby. Welcome home."

"I love you, too." She kisses Emily again, then kisses Henry. "I love you, too, Henry."

He places a kiss on her cheek. "Love Mommy."

"Think anyone else can have a chance for a hug?" Sandy asks through her tears.

"Mom," JJ whispers emotionally.

Emily takes a reluctant Henry as JJ is pulled into a hug by both of her parents. She is then engulfed by her brother's strong arms.

"I am so happy you're home, Stinkerbell."

JJ chuckles. "Still need to kick your butt about the nickname, Mark. But for now I'm just going to enjoy being here."

She gets hugs from Shelby and Abby next. She kneels down beside the carrier to meet her nephew face-to-face for the first time. Well, as much as she can since he is fast asleep.

"He's beautiful, Shelby."

Shelby smiles proudly as she too kneels down. "Yes, he is. Aidan Jay Jareau meet your Aunt Jayje, your namesake."

JJ turns and stares at her sister. "Are…are you serious?"

Shelby nods. "Couldn't think of a better person to name him for. But 'Jennifer' would have gotten him in trouble later in life."

JJ laughs and nods. "Yeah, probably." She pulls her sister-in-law into a hug. "I'm honored. Thank you." She leans down and kisses Aidan's forehead. "I love you already, AJ. You'll want for nothing. I promise."

JJ then stands, turning to her BAU family. "Hi, guys," she says smiling.

Hotch steps forward first, pulling her into a hug. "Welcome home, JJ. The unit isn't the same without you there."

"Thanks, Hotch."

Reid steps up next. JJ's mind flashes to the young soldier who had died in her arms. She grabs him in a strong hug.

"I am so fucking glad they didn't send you, Spence. So glad."

He smiles. "Me, too. It's definitely more a Morgan thing than mine."

JJ chuckles. "True. And if they try to send you please understand that I will have to shoot you to keep you safe, okay?"

Reid grins. "Umm…okay…I guess."

She gets a hug and kiss from Rossi and finally Garcia steps forward. The analyst checks her watch.

"Yep, your five minutes punishment is up." She grins and pulls JJ into a hug. "Welcome home, Jayje."

JJ chuckles. "Thanks, Penelope. Thank you for the pictures, the packages, the emails, the texts, and especially for watching over Emily, Henry and Rocky. I love you."

"I love you, too, Jayje. Glad I could be there for all of you. And I am even gladder you and my stud muffin are home safely."

JJ nods. "Me, too."

Across the way, Morgan had greeted everyone but left Emily for last. As he pulls her into a hug he whispers in her ear.

"We brought each other home safely. But I think Dr. Westfallen is going to be needed by both of us for a while."

Emily nods. "Anything you need. Either of you. Thank you for bringing her home safely. And thank you for getting back here safely, too. I couldn't have handled anything happening to either of you."

He kisses her cheek. "I know." He rubs Rocky. "We had to make it back for her."

Emily nods, tears in her eyes. "Yeah, you did."


	26. Chapter 26

When the group arrives back at the house they see a huge "WELCOME HOME" banner stretched across the yard. Emily chuckles.

"Glad Mother didn't overdo things."

JJ smiles, leaning against her wife. "I think it looks perfect."

Inside they find a huge spread in the dining room: 3 kinds of buffalo wings (Morgan's favorite), sandwiches, veggie trays, cheeses, and, to JJ's delight, Francesca's baked ziti.

Francesca pulls JJ into a hug. "Welcome home, cara. The house wasn't the same without you."

"Thank you, Francesca. And thank you for everything you did to help keep Emily's blood pressure down. It made me feel good to know you were here to watch over her, Rocky and Henry."

"It was my pleasure, Jennifer. I said a special benediction each day for you to return safely. I am glad it was heeded."

JJ nods. "Me, too, Francesca. Me, too."

As Francesca steps away, JJ sees Elizabeth studying her. Finally the older woman shakes her head.

"Not the best colors for you, dear. But I still love you," she teases.

JJ laughs, looking down at her BDU's. "I understand. In fact, I worry I may turn into Garcia for a few weeks because I am so sick of these blah colors."

Garcia smiles proudly. "I'll teach you everything you need to know about dressing loud and obnoxious."

Everyone laughs, knowing the analyst means it. Elizabeth pulls JJ into a hug.

"Welcome home, Jennifer. I am so proud of you for not letting us get you out of there. You are a woman of impeccable character. I admire you so much. And I love you, too."

"Thank you, Elizabeth. I love you so much."

Gerald steps forward to hug her next. JJ can't stop the tears.

"The armour…it…God, Gerald…thank you."

He smiles. "I'm glad it served its purpose though I wish it hadn't had to. I love you, Jennifer. Welcome back."

"Love you, too."

Once the hug ends, JJ turns, searching for her wife and son. She doesn't want them too far from her just yet. Turns out they feel the same about her and are right behind her.

"I want to get out of these damn BDU's. Mind helping me?"

Emily shakes her head. "Not at all." She looks at Morgan. "Derek, you have a change of clothes in the guest room at the end of the hall."

He smiles in relief. "Thank goodness."

Francesca pats his arms. "Fresh towels, too."

"Sounds even better!"

He grabs a few buffalo wings and goes upstairs to get changed. Henry, who is fighting a losing battle with sleep, is carried up the stairs by Sandy for a nap. JJ takes Emily's hand and leads her upstairs to their bedroom.

Inside, Emily starts to undo the buttons on JJ's shirt. "I need to do this, Jen. I need…need to see the injuries."

JJ nods. "I know. I understand."

JJ just stands caressing Rocky as Emily slowly removes the BDU shirt. JJ raises her arm so Emily can lift up the tan undershirt.

"Oh, Jen," Emily whispers as the bruising on JJ's chest starts to appear.

"It looked worse, baby. It's okay. Really."

Emily gently lifts up the sports bra JJ wears. Her eyes stare at the pinpoint of deep purple in the middle of the bruise. That marks the impact point…and it is directly over JJ's heart.

"Oh, fuck, Jen."

Emily pulls her wife close. JJ wraps her arms around the weeping brunette.

"The armour worked, baby. I am here and bruised, a bit cut up, but I am okay." She leans back and frames Emily's face with her hands. "Look into my eyes, sweetheart. I am right here. Forget about the 'what ifs' and 'could have beens'. I am here in your arms. Alive and so fucking happy to be home."

Emily gives her a deep kiss. "I am so fucking happy you're home, too." She draws a finger gently over the healing cut on her wife's cheek. "And if the bastard who did this to you wasn't dead I'd have to find him and go medieval on his ass."

JJ laughs, and it is music to Emily's ears. "I bet you would, Mrs. Prentiss."

"Damn right I would, Mrs. Prentiss."

Emily finishes stripping her wife, paying attention to new scars and bruises as they appear. Finally JJ stands naked before her. JJ asks her wife nervously.

"So, uh, what do you think?"

Emily pulls her close and stares into her eyes. "I think you are the most beautiful woman in the world. And I am lucky as hell to have you as my wife."

JJ smiles. "Good thinking."

The two share one more kiss then JJ heads into the bathroom to shower. She luxuriates in the steam for nearly 30 minutes. When she gets out, she pulls on her flannel robe and walks out of the bathroom to find her mother waiting for her. Sandy grins at her daughter.

"My turn to evaluate your injuries."

JJ smiles and nods. "I know, Mom. Do whatever you have to do."

It is 10 more minutes before Sandy deems JJ able to get dressed. Once she is, Sandy pulls her into another hug.

"I am so proud of you, Jenny. And I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Mom. I'm sorry for the gray hair my being over there must have given you."

"That's okay, baby. Emily said to send you the bill for my dye job."

JJ laughs and nods. "Yeah, I bet she did."

She wraps her arm around her mother's waist as they make their way downstairs to join the party.

* * *

The party lasts long into the night. The arrival of Morgan's mother and sisters had made it an even happier night for everyone. It is nearly 10 p.m. before JJ and Emily take Henry upstairs to bed. Though the little boy didn't need it, his mother reads him "their" bedtime story because _she_ needs it.

When she is done, she just stares down at the sleeping boy. "He's so beautiful."

Emily smiles and strokes a hand through JJ's hair. "Just like his mother."

JJ finally stands and lays him down in his crib. She tucks his blanket around him, putting his teddy bear in his arms. Emily wraps her arms around JJ's waist from behind.

"Every night he gave your picture a kiss goodnight. And every morning he said 'Hi, Mommy' to it."

JJ leans her head against Emily's shoulder. "Thank you, sweetheart, for everything."

"My pleasure, Jen."

JJ turns and looks into Emily's eyes. "I want to see the chart."

Emily frowns in confusion. "What chart?"

"Your blood pressure chart. I want to see it before bed." Emily starts to shake her head. "Emily, I need to. Please. Just like you had to see my injuries, I have to see yours."

Emily sighs and nods. "Okay. But right now let's go back to the party. People still want to see you."

JJ smiles. "And I still need to see them."

Emily takes JJ's hands and they rejoin the party in time to hear Morgan regaling them all with the tale of JJ…and the camel spider.

"Morgan! I warned you what would happen if you told that story," she says threateningly.

He grins mischievously. "Oh, Blondie, did you really think I wouldn't tell?"

JJ just shakes her head as he continues. By the time he is done everyone is in tears they are laughing so hard…including Emily. JJ looks at her wife.

"Glad I have your sympathy and support, dear."

Emily gives her a kiss. "Sympathy and support you have but, baby, that was funny as hell."

JJ nods. "Maybe. But I bet Morgan would hate if I told you all about—"

"Oh, Jayje…please don't…" he begs.

"—Morgan and the little old lady…he got married to!"

"What?!" His mother exclaims. "My little boy is finally married?"

"Oh, yeah. To a woman who probably was around when the Bible was written."

JJ proceeds to tell the story of a visit to a distant village the four agents had made. They had all been welcomed with open arms. And by time Mack had caught up to Morgan he was in the middle of a wedding dance with an old woman. After a few questions she found out that somehow the agent had agreed to marry her in exchange for 3 goats and two bolts of cloth.

One of Morgan's sisters pulls him into a hug. "Geez, Derek, I think you should have held out for at least 4 goats."

"I don't know," chimes in his other sister. "I think he should have waited for more cloth. Think of the beautiful dresses we could have made."

The laughter and teasing lasts until nearly midnight. As everyone gets ready to leave, Hotch suddenly raises his hands.

"JJ, I think there's one last thing we need to take care of tonight."

"Oh? What?"

"Word has it that you have been working with improper credentials."

She frowns. "What? What the hell does that mean?"

Hotch looks at Rossi. "Agent Rossi, you have the ones she had in Afghanistan?"

Rossi nods. "Yep, right here." He flips them open for everyone to see.

Hotch nods. "As I thought. This is a serious breach, Agent Jareau."

JJ stares at them. "What the hell is wrong with them?"

Hotch points to a line on them. "They list you as a liaison. And you, Agent Jareau, are a profiler." He smiles and hands her the new credentials to go with her badge.

She laughs as she takes them. "Can you believe I forgot I wasn't technically a profiler until after I left?"

Hotch shrugs. "Hell, you've been a profiler for so long I had forgotten until they showed up on my desk." He pats her on the shoulder. "I am proud to give them to you, Profiler Jareau."

JJ smiles. "And I am happy to receive them." She grins evilly. "So on Monday can I smack Turner in the face with them?"

Hotch laughs. "Since that bastard sent me his resume twice yes you can!"

Everyone laughs and those not staying the night leave. Eventually it is just Jareau's and Prentiss' left. JJ stares at each of them in turn.

"I am so sorry for any scares you all had. But I am so thankful for the love and support I had from each of you. I couldn't have made it without you all."

Elizabeth smiles. "We're proud of you, Jennifer. And so very happy to have you home. Now, you best get my daughter to bed. Rocky needs to rest."

JJ wraps her arm around Emily's waist. "Best idea I've heard all day."

As the others go to clean up the party, Emily and JJ make their way to the bedroom. Once there they stare into each others eyes.

"I think I'll get my first good night's sleep in 9 long weeks," Emily says.

JJ kisses her deeply. "Me, too. But first…I need to reacquaint myself with your body." She kisses Emily again. "I need you, Emily. I need you so much."

"I need you, too, baby. I want to make love you and have you make love to me."

JJ smiles. "Then your wish is my command."

Emily pulls her into a deep kiss and soon they make their way to the bed to reaffirm their love to each other, thankful that their 9 weeks of separation are over.

* * *

**A/N: This story is dedicated to the brave service members all over the world fighting the war on terrorism as well as the agents with the FBI, CIA, and NCIS who are often forgotten by us all. They work tirelessly to protect us. My love, respect and prayers go out to all of them.**


End file.
